


What I hoped for

by Ereana



Series: Can I get yer number? [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Atsumu is unsure about a lot of things, Brazil, Doubt, Fluff, Friendship, Holidays, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27774742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ereana/pseuds/Ereana
Summary: Atsumu is doing just fine and why wouldn’t he be? He’s the main setter for a strong professional team. He gets on well with his teammates. He’s playing the sport he loves for a living. It’s great.So why does he feel stuck? Maybe a short trip to visit one of his favourite people in the world might do him some good.Only it’s been a year and who knows how Hinata feels about him now.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Series: Can I get yer number? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007193
Comments: 219
Kudos: 759





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy the sequel! Would recommend reading 'Not what I expected' first.

The ball goes up. The libero follows it’s trajectory even as he pushes himself off the ground, a satisfied grin on his face at the perfect receive and the way it arcs directly towards the setter’s position.

“All yours, Atsumu.”

Atsumu has already raised his arms, he can see two wing spikers running for the net. Which one? The blockers wait patiently, watching with sharp eyes and ready to move at a moment’s notice to jump and stop the ball.

At least they can try to.

His fingers touch the ball, and he sends it flying. It’s a good toss, perfectly serviceable and Bokuto is able to blast it past Tomas, only half a second behind him, but at this level that’s more than enough to score.

Bokuto whoops as he lands, as jubilant for a point in a practice match as he is for an official game, and everyone cracks a smile at the ‘Hey! Hey! Hey!’ that echoes around the gym. Everyone but Atsumu. Atsumu looks at his hands and frowns.

Off again.

Ever so slightly, not enough to change the outcome, but it was a worrying trend that had cropped up in the past few weeks and he didn’t know what to do about it. Training harder wasn’t an option — coach wasn’t one to tolerate players working themselves to exhaustion — so that meant it was probably something in his mindset.

How long before all of those little mistakes added up to something big? He’d earned his starting position fair and square, but he knew that consistency was everything and if this—

“Everyone take five, then we’ll switch things around. Atsumu, I want you working with Meian and Barnes next so rest up.” Coach Foster calls out, and Atsumu nods and waves back to signal his understanding before going over to rest against the wall of the gym.

He’s been a member of the Black Jackals for nearly three years now, he knows he’s good and there’s no one else on the team who can replace him as the primary setter but...the mistakes are concerning, and frustrating. Especially when he knows what his best is like, and this team deserves nothing less than it.

“Tsum-Tsum, you okay there? You’re looking kinda pensive. I think that’s a word, hey Inu-san, is pensive a word?” Bokuto materialises next to Atsumu and interrupts his totally-not-brooding moment, bursting through his concentration with all the force of a wrecking ball.

He is impossible to ignore, impossible to look away from, but Atsumu has five years of experience dealing with a similar  _ friend, _ and he rolls his eyes.

“Pensive is a word,” Inunaki says from his spot on the bench, a water bottle loosely gripped in one hand. “Remind me to get you another word of the day calendar for Christmas.”

Bokuto’s eyes light up in a way that usually only happens in the presence of one Akaashi Keji or a barbeque. “I’ll hold you to that! The one you got me last time was super helpful.”

Atsumu cracks a smile and rests his head back against the wall. Last year, Bokuto hadn’t stopped talking about his secret santa gift for ages, and when the gifters had been revealed he’d verly nearly squeezed the life out of their libero. Barnes had managed to catch the whole thing on camera, and every last member of the team had a copy.

Along with the voice recording of Meian’s ‘practice proposal’ with Hirugami Fukuro from the Adlers taking the role of his then girlfriend now wife, the photo of Tomas with his face covered in Inunaki’s birthday cake because he’d slipped while carrying it out, and the video of Atsumu in the Jackasuke costume after he’d lost a bet to Bokuto and several other moments that made up the teams slightly inglorious history.

He’d really hate to let them down.

He stares at his hands again, unsure how to solve a problem he doesn’t know the cause of. Is it his diet? He’s been sleeping well, and despite all expectations, does manage to maintain something of a social life outside of work.

Granted a significant portion of that is people he knows in the league, but they aren’t all volleyball players which is an improvement from high school.

Bokuto bops him lightly on the head, and he turns to scowl at him. Can’t he see this is his non-brooding time? Bokuto grins, not perturbed in the slightest, and leans forward.

“So you gonna tell me what’s bugging you?” he asks.

“Don’t know what yer talkin’ about, Bokkun. I’m completely fine,” Atsumu lies, he’s not one for heart to heart chats especially in public. Unfortunately, Bokuto is that type of person, and like a dog with a bone, he doesn’t let it drop.

“Well, that last toss you sent me wasn’t like your usual ones, it was still pretty good, but…” He flicks a glance at Atsumu with eyes that hold a shade too much knowing for Atsumu’s comfort. “I don’t think you were happy with it.”

Atsumu bites his lip and looks down. Of course he wasn’t happy with it. He knows he can do better, and all these little errors are starting to get to him. There’s a ball of nervousness in his stomach that’s growing bigger each day he doesn’t return to normal standard, and he doesn’t know what to do about it. Bokuto watches him quietly before he cocks his head to the side and makes a humming noise.

“Hey, when was the last time you took a break?”

That throws him for a loop. He opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out. He hasn’t taken any holiday days in a while. He’ll sometimes visit his parents and ‘Samu over the weekend, but he doesn’t need to take time off to do it so why bother.

He belongs on the court after all and has to be in the best shape possible if he wants to stand at the number one spot above every other team in Japan, especially with only a year to go before his future spiker returns to Japan.

“Not recently.” A third voice cuts in, and Atsumu startles up to see Meian walking towards them with a thoughtful expression on his face. “In fact, I think the last time was about six months ago when your grandmother got ill.”

That hadn’t been a good time for anyone, both he and his brother half out of their minds in worry as their mother did her best to care for their grandma while also reassuring them at the same time. The team had borne the brunt of that for a bit until he’d practically been forced to take two weeks leave and return home. They’d lost the next match against the Red Falcons, but Atsumu had returned to well wishes and concerned offers of help rather than the blame he’d expected.

“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy. We all have.”

“Yet everyone else has managed to take some time off. Tomas was off in Germany last month to visit family remember? And he’s just as busy as you.” Meian reminds him, using his captain voice that Atsumu has always been weak to — two years with Kita would do that to a guy — and he nods, not noticing the way Bokuto perks up or the unusually sly look that crosses his face.

Unusual because while Bokuto was more cunning than people gave him credit for he didn’t tend to show it so openly.

“That’s a great idea, captain!” Atsumu and Meian exchange a glance, equally confused.

“What is?” Atsumu asks with a hint of trepidation.

Bokuto grins, which does nothing to ease Atsumu’s nerves, and claps a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you go on a proper holiday? A serious one, leave the country, get a change of scenery, refresh yourself on the shores of some unknown exotic land.” Bokuto’s smile turns sharper than one of his straights and sirens start wailing in Atsumu’s head. “I hear Brazil is lovely this time of year.”

Atsumu’s blood turns to ice and betrayal is a cruel blow. He opens his mouth to immediately disregard the idea and blast it away before it can set down roots. But that moment of frozen shock costs him, and Inunaki pipes up from the bench.

“That’s not a half-bad idea. Don’t you have a friend there, Atsumu? You could go visit him for the week, a few days off might be exactly what you need.”

Barnes chimes in as well. “I know I always feel much better after a break, you need to give your body and mind proper time to rest.”

No. No. No. 

There are many reasons why this can’t happen and he is never going to toss to Bokuto again...for the rest of this practice at least. He opens his mouth to say so when Meian’s next words stop him in his tracks.

“We all know how hard you work, Atsumu. There’s a reason why you’re our main setter. No one’s going to begrudge you a holiday, and we’ll all be here when you get back ready for your tosses.” Meian says, and he says it so earnestly that Atsumu is left defenceless to reject him and the genuine smiles on his teammate's faces.

_ Shit. _

“You can leave the puns behind though,” Tomas teases and the room erupts into good natured laughter as Atsumu protests.

Practice resumes shortly after, and while he still feels in a bit of a funk, it’s better with the support from his team. As they all leave for the day Bokuto approaches him again. Atsumu raises an eyebrow and pulls on his jacket, not sure if he’s prepared for a second Bokuto branded idea today. Some of that must show on his face because Bokuto smiles sheepishly.

“Look, I know I kinda sprung that on you in practice.” Atsumu crosses his arms and hums. “But please think about it. Even if you don’t go to Brazil — which you should totally do — I think it would be good for you to get away for a bit.”

That’s the thing with Bokuto, he’s a good guy and even when he does something annoying it’s hard to get truly angry at him. Atsumu lets his irritation drain away and sighs.

“I’ll think about it.” He promises and Bokuto gives him a thumbs up before leaving through the door. Atsumu steps out too and sucks in a breath of fresh air.

A vacation, huh?

Two hours later he’s sat on his couch with his laptop in front of him searching holiday packages that promise once in a lifetime experiences in the same bright coloured lettering. The photos are pretty, and a couple of destinations stir his interest. He can’t remember the last time he left Japan, maybe when he and ‘Samu were fourteen when they went to Spain for two weeks with their mom and grandparents. He’d nearly gotten lost on the streets in Barcelona because of all the distractions and street performers. Every time they’d turned a street, there had been a cool building or little show and his grandma had nearly put a leash on him so they could keep him close.

It wouldn’t be the same going on his own, but he’d enjoyed Spain so maybe that was an option.

One problem.

Ever since Bokuto mentioned Brazil he hasn’t been able to dislodge the idea from his head. It’s stuck there like a catchy tune, and he’s already had to close two tabs after ‘accidentally’ navigating to flights to Rio de Janeiro.

He shouldn’t.

It’s been one year already, so it’s halfway through. He can wait another year, right? It would be weird to just show up out of the blue and hang out for a week. He didn’t even know if Hinata would have time to see him, his friend was always busy recently and Atsumu didn’t want to distract him from his training.

Plus if he saw Hinata in person again he knows he won’t be able to stop thinking of the last time they saw each other.

The messy outpouring of feelings and the sheer joy of finding out that Hinata felt the same way swifty followed by the crushing realisation that nothing could come of it, not with two years in Brazil in the way. He didn’t know what stung more, the knowledge that he could have had something with Hinata if he’d only been brave enough to speak up earlier or the fact that even if he had said something it wouldn’t have stopped Hinata leaving.

Their first few calls after that had been awkward. Neither sure how to tiptoe around the elephant in the room, but Atsumu had been determined not to let it affect their friendship. So he did what he’d done for the past two years, shove all the more than platonic feelings in a box and be Hinata’s friend. Because friends were all they could be at that point, and Atsumu was confident they could maintain that kind of relationship as a long distance one. Heck, they’d had plenty of practice after all, Hyogo and Miyagi weren’t exactly close. 

So friends they remained.

Atsumu’s feelings hadn’t changed. He’d catch himself staring at Hinata through the screen aching to kiss him once more, to hold him in his arms again and show him exactly how much he meant to Atsumu.

The old adage of distance makes the heart grow fonder was proven true, at least in his case. He didn’t know if Hinata felt the same.

As promised, neither of them had waited. Atsumu had nearly broken his phone when that photo of Hinata and the brown-haired pretty boy setter had appeared on the screen. Oikawa Tooru was a name he’d give anything to forget. Their next call had been a day or two after, and Atsumu had to sit through a whole spiel of Hinata’s praise for the other man and how happy he was to see him in Rio, the whole time Atsumu hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from the dark mark blooming on Hinata’s neck.

Maths may not have been his best subject, but he could put two and two together. The biggest hint had been when Hinata had seen what he’d been staring at and blushed bright pink. Usually that was a welcome sight, one that Atsumu tried to draw out as often as possible — the only times he let himself step over that line they’d set between them, teasing turning flirty and delighting that Hinata didn’t ask him to stop — except this time he wasn’t the cause of it.

“Uhh, yeah so it was good to catch up with Tooru.” Hinata had clasped his hand over the mark as he spoke, and that was all the confirmation Atsumu had needed.

He’d closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, using all his control to fight down the irrational spike of jealousy and hurt that shot through his heart. 

He had no right to feel that way. He was the one who told Hinata not to wait. He had no claim on Hinata of that sort.

He’d opened his eyes to see Hinata looking at him through the camera with a sort of concerned nervousness that Atsumu wanted to wipe away. A smile had forced its way onto his face, and he’d returned the conversation to Hinata’s beach training to the other’s clear relief. They’d ended the talk with Hinata begging him for more tips on tossing which he’d been happy to give.

That night in his bed he’d been unable to get the image of Oikawa leaving that mark on Hinata’s neck; it wasn’t subtle, wasn’t something that could easily be hidden, it was loud and clear and exactly the sort of thing that Atsumu would do.

Hinata had kept his promise.

The next night Atsumu had kept his.

Looking back he’d been more upset than he’d admitted, and he’d spent a month or so jumping from person to person until ‘Samu had held an intervention and knocked some sense into him. It wasn’t like any of them had mattered to him, not really.

Too tall.

Too short.

Hands too smooth.

Hair not the right colour.

None of them were Hinata, which made all the difference in the world.

So he’d stopped, to the relief of his friends, and had devoted himself completely to his work, to volleyball which he could always fall back on. A few months later, Tomas had offered to set him up on a blind date and he’d given it a go — the team finally accepting that the person he always called wasn’t his girlfriend, Bokuto had told him there was now a wager going on about who it was — and it had been nice, comfortable even. The woman was pretty, smart, she was an up and coming journalist and very funny.

He hadn’t asked for a second date, and she’d been kind enough to not push him on it when he dropped her off at her apartment.

For the past five months, he’d had the misfortune of being the focus on one or two of the more gossipy sports magazines who had latched on to his less than perfect love life with all the ferocity of a bulldog. He could barely go to one of the press conferences or fan meets without someone asking if he had finally settled down or found someone to stop his playboy ways.

Those questions always annoyed him, and his answers were usually short and snappy. The rest of the team knew to change topic and provide interference if he was ever pressed too hard on it.

A car honks its horn from the road outside, and Atsumu snaps back to the present.

His computer screen shows a web page with flights to Brazil listed out, and he curses himself again.

It’s such a bad idea.

But he really wants to go.

It makes him sound like some eighteenth century maiden, but he’s yearning to see Hinata again. He wants to be in his presence, even if it’s only as friends, and let that smile warm him. He wants that easy nature that always flowed between them when they were together.

_ He wants to know if Hinata feels the same. _

Atsumu drops his head into his hands and groans. There’s only one thing to do in situations like this.

* * *

  
  


“Yes, ya should go ta Brazil. Now are ya goin’ to help me with lunch or not?”

Atsumu pouts and resumes chopping up vegetables. Osamu, with his cold stone heart, is unmoved by his plight and rolls his eyes.

“But what if I make it weird? I can’t just show up at his doorstep with a suitcase.”

“Of course ya can’t. That’s why ya let him know yer comin’ and book a hotel, idiot.” Osamu bumps him on the shoulder. “We both know he’s gonna be thrilled to see ya.”

Atsumu says nothing, and Osamu snorts.

“Yer jokin’, right? ‘Tsumu, the guy’s crazy about ya.”

“Ya don’t know that. What if I go and say somethin’ about ya know—”

“Yer feelin’s for him?”

“And he doesn’t feel the same and then it’s awkward and I ruin it and I’m not good with this sorta stuff,” Atsumu finishes with a whine. There’s no point in putting up any kind of pretense in front of his brother. Osamu knows him too well and would see through it in a second.

A quiet chuckle sounds out from behind, and they both turn around to see Yamaguchi sitting at the table. There’s a big scary looking textbook open in front of him along with several pens, a mug of steaming coffee, and a half filled notebook, the picture of a dedicated university student.

Yamaguchi takes a sip of his drink and waves his other hand in apology.

“Sorry for laughing, Atsumu-san. I couldn’t help but overhear.” he says and Atsumu shrugs.

“S’alright, besides ‘Samu woulda told ya after I left anyway.” Said brother starts to whistle and averts his eyes. “Ya see? Can’t keep anything from ya, Yamaguchi-kun.”

Yamaguchi’s smile goes fond, and Atsumu resists the urge to groan as Osamu’s ears turn pink. He came here to resolve his own romantic troubles, not have his brother’s happy relationship rubbed in his face.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure you’re the one Hinata talks to the most.” Yamaguchi says instantly becoming the most important thing in the room. Atsumu stops cutting vegetables, ignoring Osamu’s frown, and turns around.

“Oh?” He asks, doing his best to sound nonchalant. From the amused look Yamaguchi sends him, he doesn’t think that he succeeds.

“He’s surprisingly hard to get hold of, at least in my experience. There’s always another beach match, or training with Lucio-san, but he seems to have plenty of time for you. Like Osamu said, I’m sure he’d be happy to see you if you went.” 

Yamaguchi is Atsumu’s new favourite person.

“Ah, really? Well, maybe I will then.” Atsumu ignores Osamu’s grumbling and jerks a thumb at his brother. “Seriously, yer too good for this guy, don’t know why yer with him.”

A lie, but one that is steeped in the age old tradition of annoying one’s younger brother. He’s owed it after putting up with Osamu’s pining ass, again, for the better part of a year and a half.

Not like he’s one to talk.

Yamaguchi laughs and flips the page on that terrifyingly thick textbook. “Because he can cook and because he’s the hotter twin,” he teases and Atsumu mimes gagging while Osamu turns full traffic light red.

It’s kinda hilarious to see how flustered he gets around his boyfriend even after five months of dating. 

“That’s it, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. When I come back ya two lovebirds better behave yourselves or I’m tellin’ mom,” he jokes and ducks to avoid Osamu’s swipe at his head as he walks away.

“No promises,” Yamaguchi calls out and Osamu chokes behind him.

* * *

Who knew that a phone could be such a terrifying object? 

Atsumu’s been staring at it for the past thirty minutes, and he’s half expecting it to bite him. It’s 10pm in Osaka, which means it’s 10am in Rio right now, a perfectly reasonable time to call, anyone would agree.

It’s only a phone call.

With the guy he’s been pining over for several years now but still.

Atsumu refuses to be a coward again.

He presses the green call symbol next to Hinata’s number and takes a breath. Part of him hopes it will go to voicemail. The other part of him is relieved when Hinata picks up after only a few rings.

“Atsumu-san! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Is everything okay?” Hinata’s chirpy voice fills his ear, and already he can feel his shoulders relaxing.

_ You haven’t called me ‘Tsumu since that day at your house. _

_ When I kissed you and it felt like everything I ever wanted. _

“What can’t I just call ya? If yer busy, I can call another time.”

“No!” Hinata blurts out and Atsumu can almost see him gripping the phone on the other side. “No, now’s fine. Give me a sec I just gotta…” Hinata says something in Portuguese, and Atsumu can’t help but perk up a bit. Hinata sounds good, no stuttering or halting, and the foreign words sound pleasant to Atsumu’s ears.

More noises follow, Hinata’s moving somewhere, and if strains his ears he thinks he can make out the gentle crashing of waves.

“Sorry about that. I’m free now.”

“I didn’t interrupt ya, did I?”

“No, no. Nothing important. I’m a little surprised to hear from you is all.”

Atsumu shrugs before he remembers that Hinata can’t see him.

“Well, I wanted ta speak to ya, I have a question, ya see.” 

“Oh? What is it?” Hinata’s voice rises higher in confusion. Atsumu takes one last breath to fortify himself.

“I’ve got some time off work comin’ up. It’s been a while since I’ve had a holiday, and I was wonderinifya’dbehappyformetacomeseeyainBrazil.” He should not be allowed to talk.

“I’m sorry, didn’t quite catch that last part.” HInata chuckles, and Atsumu suspects he’s holding in a larger burst of laughter.

“I said I was wonderin’ if ya’d be happy for me ta come see ya in Brazil. It’s been a while after all.” His voice turns wistful at the end as he’s reminded of just how much he’s missed his friend — video calls and text messages can only do so much.

Utter silence.

Atsumu has two seconds to think he’s made a grave mistake and begins to pull back the offer when:

“I mean only if ya want—”

“Are you serious?!” Atsumu has to pull the phone away from his ear as Hinata’s voice explodes out of it, no need to put it on speaker. “Of course I want you to come! When do you have time off? Have you booked flights yet? I know where you can get the cheaper ones. Do you have a place to stay? I can check with Pedro, but I’m sure you can stay with me. Buah! This is going to be great!”

As Hinata babbles in his ear about plans and things they absolutely have to do while he’s there Atsumu lets himself sink into his voice while he pulls up that flights to Brazil page from earlier.

Maybe he will thank Bokuto, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Rio de Janeiro was a hot city. This was to be expected in a hot country, so the blast of warm air when Atsumu steps off the airplane shouldn’t have been a surprise. However, he is barely functioning after spending more than twenty-four hours either in the air or waiting at airports with hundreds of other people, desperately trying not to psyche himself out of what he was doing.

How believable would it be if he told Hinata he’d gotten on the wrong flight to Russia instead? They were both big countries and maps were hard! But his imagination had cut in with a devastating image of a disappointed Hinata and his brother sneering at him for his cowardice and he’d quickly tossed the idea aside.

Though that hadn’t stopped him looking for parachutes when he’d boarded the last plane.

It was a combination of jet lag, panic, overall exhaustion, and the sweltering sensation of sharing a metal tube with other similarly sweaty people that means he isn’t prepared for the full force of Brazillian sunshine when he steps out into fresh air.

He groans and reaches into his hand luggage for the cap he’d remembered to bring as he was leaving his flat. The Onigiri Miya symbol is proudly on display, and he makes a note to himself to remind ‘Samu to thank him for the free advertisement. Apart from offering some relief from the heat, it also comes with the added bonus of hiding his horrendous travel hair from  Hinata anyone he was looking to impress.

His fellow passengers react in a myriad of ways. The sane ones like him groaning or sighing while looking for some protection from the boiling sunlight, clearly tired and ready to collapse on to the nearest bed they could find. The less sane ones laugh and stretch, looking relieved to have stepped foot on the frying pan that was the runway. 

Voices in all sorts of languages echo around him, some he had never heard before, and the odd word of English that he understood is quickly drowned out by the multitude he doesn’t. Feeling a little lost he follows the crowd to wherever the attendants were herding them towards, passport check probably, and then he’d have to wait for luggage at that stupid conveyer belt that acted as a carosel for suitcases. Atsumu’s bag was always the last one unloaded no matter what, which meant spending even more time stuck in the sweatbox and less time with Hinata.

The officer at the border check takes slightly too long looking between him and his passport. Long enough for Atsumu to worry about causing some international incident and being sent back on a plane to Japan  — which would be a complete waste of time now that he was in Brazil and he wouldn’t go quietly, not when he was so close — but eventually the man passes it back to him and he’s allowed to pass through the scary gates.

Last stop — luggage collection. Then he can head towards the arrival exit where Hinata was waiting for him. Atsumu had agonised over whether or not to accept Hinata’s offer to pick him up at the airport. On the one hand, he got to see Hinata sooner, and he was staying at Hinata’s place for the week so it made sense for him to pick Atsumu up — and that was a whole separate panic situation — and it meant he got more Hinata time overall. On the other hand, that would mean Hinata seeing him right after many hours of travelling, and Atsumu would look like an absolute mess, not exactly how he wanted to look after seeing his friend/longtime crush again for the first time in a year.

Bokuto had listened to Atsumu’s well-thought-out arguments before grabbing his phone and texting Hinata back that of course he could come pick Atsumu up from the airport. Atsumu had gaped at him in betrayal as the other had set his phone down on the bench and given him a thumbs up.

“Problem solved, Tsum-Tsum!”

Barnes had needed to hold Atsumu back from strangling the ace.

His prediction about his luck at baggage collection is spot on, and he watches with increasing jealousy as the other passengers all begin to file out through the exit door. His phone is still adjusting to the change in country, so he can’t even distract himself with it. Finally, his suitcase appears, and without wasting another second, he grabs it and walks briskly for the exit.

Hinata and a bed that’s all he wanted....to rest, that was all! Nothing else. Just sleep, but if Hinata wanted to share then he wouldn’t say no.

_ If it was offered, he’d say yes in a heartbeat, but he couldn’t trust himself to act sensibly in that sort of situation. _

A shower wouldn’t go amiss either. He hasn’t checked, but he probably smelt like a sandwich that had been left out in the sun for a little too long. He tugs the hat a little lower and looks at the floor, all those doubts from earlier rushing back into his head and cursing himself from ever letting Bokuto talk him into this. He is an absolute mess, more so than usual, and Hinata is going to regret ever inviting him to stay at his place, and this week was going to be a disaster and—

“Atsumu!” 

For the first time in a year, he hears Hinata’s voice unchanged by static or bad speakers, and it’s a little scary how quickly his mood flipped upside down. He straightens up, lifts his eyes from the ground and smiles. Like a magnet, his gaze is instantly drawn to Hinata, and he feels his breath catch in his throat.

_ Shit. _

_ The webcam really didn’t do him justice. _

_ Fuck, this just got so much harder. _

Hinata is hot. As in Atsumu has to clamp his jaw shut to stop himself from drooling hot. There had been hints of what his friend would grow into before he left, but goddamn there had to be something in the water here for this kind of transformation.

“S-Shou-kun?” His voice sounds like he’s been eating sandpaper, and his feet stop moving. All his brain power is being used to try and process the image in front of him: Hinata Shouyou in shorts, sandals, and a tank top looking fine as hell with tanned skin that Atsumu wants to 

map out with his tongue.

Impatient at his lack of movement, Hinata starts to run towards him, a bright beaming grin on his face that makes Atsumu’s heart ache. It hurt to see him again, but it’s a good hurt, a pain that made you let out a hiss when it happened but left something soothing in its wake. 

Atsumu hasn’t realised how much he’s missed him until now.

So caught up in those thoughts, he nearly misses his cue to open his arms as Hinata leaps towards him in a smooth movement that would make a long-jumper proud. Thankfully, his reflexes kick in and he isn’t knocked flat on his ass when their bodies collide.

“Oomph,” he wheezes as the breath is knocked out of him — once again because of Hinata — but that isn't important. Nothing is important anymore, nothing except the man in his arms and the way he clung to Atsumu, pressing his face into Atsumu’s shoulder and smelling of the sun and sea.

“I can’t believe you're here.” He nearly misses the words due to how mumbled they were, but when they registered he smiles and hugs back.

Long hugs had become something of a tradition for them, so he felt no shame in clinging back just as tightly, the distance between them reduced to nothing as they enjoyed simply being with one another again.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be, Shouyou,” he admits and is rewarded with a suspiciously teary chuckle. His own eyes begin to water, and he clenches his hands in the material of Hinata’s top. “I missed ya a lot.”

Hinata pulls back a little and looks up at him, beautiful brown eyes shine with unshed tears, and Atsumu wants to wipe them away with his hands, but that would mean letting go of Hinata and he can’t bring himself to do that yet.

“I bet I missed you more.” 

They both chuckle at the childishness of it and finally  reluctantly pull away from one another. Atsumu can’t stop looking at Hinata, cataloguing all the changes in him since they’d last seen each other. The only thing that saves it from turning awkward is that he can see Hinata doing the same, his eyes scanning Atsumu up and down while occasionally commenting on something that was different.

“That’s a cool hat by the way, I really like the symbol.”

“Oh this? It’s one of ‘Samu’s that he sometimes wears at his restaurant. And he keeps tellin’ me brandin’ is important.” They start to weave their way through the crowd, Atsumu following Hinata’s lead content to let him take charge while he focuses on staying awake. He doesn’t want to miss one second of Hinata-time.

“Wow, I can’t believe I know someone who actually owns a restaurant. That’s so cool! He must have worked really hard this past year.”

Atsumu hums in acknowledgement. Osamu had certainly worked hard. Nearly to exhaustion at one point when things were still in those early, rocky stages, and he’d had to spend a couple of weekends back home making sure his idiot twin wasn’t pushing himself to an early grave. Athletes weren’t the only ones who needed to take care of themselves, after all.

It was during one of those visits he’d met Yamaguchi and gotten a front row seat to his brother’s pining part two. At least this time he’d chosen someone who clearly returned his feelings, but watching their little courtship dance had been a painful reminder of his own unlucky love life at the time. By the end of it, he’d been more than happy to return to Osaka and leave his foolish brother in the care of his ‘friend’.

“You’re really out of it, aren’t you?” Hinata asks with amusement and Atsumu smiles again, happy to hear the fondness in his friend's tone and too sleepy to process anything else.

He’s vaguely aware of Hinata shepherding him into a taxi and saying something in Portuguese that he couldn’t begin to understand.

“Ya sound really good, ya know,” he slurs in a voice thick with sleep. The movement of the car and the warmth of Hinata next to him all lulling him into a much needed rest.

“Oh?” Hinata asks and Atsumu hums in reply, letting his head fall on to his companion’s shoulder too tired to worry about if it was appropriate or not. He thinks he hears Hinata’s breath hitch, but when nothing happens he lets himself relax.

“Yeah, odd not hearin’ ya speak Japanese but I kinda like it when ya talk different. Sounds real nice.” Nice was an understatement, the sound of those foreign words in Hinata’s voice pour into his ears like honey.

“T-Thanks, Atsumu, it’s nice to speak Japanese again.” The hat on his head is pulled off and he’s about to complain until it is replaced by a hand gently stroking his hair. Atsumu melts and lets out a yawn. “Why don’t you take a nap? It’s a fair drive until we get to my place, and you look like you need the rest. I’ll take care of it, don't worry.”

Later, Atsumu will insist on paying Hinata for the cab in full. He’s the one on holiday with money to burn, after all. They’ll argue and come to a reluctant compromise of Atsumu paying for half of it, and he’ll spend the rest of the week looking for ways to spoil his friend while Hinata does his best to foil his plans.

That would all come later though.

For now, Atsumu allows the dream realm to pull him down with its velvet tendrils and rest easy, pressed up against Hinata in the coziness of the back seat with the warmth of Rio starting to sink into his skin.

* * *

“So yer roommate isn’t gonna be here then?” Atsumu asks as he follows Hinata into the apartment they’d be sharing for the next few days. It’s clean, clearly well cared for and honestly nicer than some of the hotels that he’d looked at when planning this spur of the moment trip.

“Pedro’s away on some field trip for his university. He’ll be back in five days, so you’ll get to see him before you leave. He’s a little shy, but I’m sure you two will get on great,” Hinata says with such conviction that Atsumu didn’t point out that he didn’t possess Hinata’s magical ability to befriend anyone and that it usually took more than a day for people to warm up to him.

“And yer sure about me takin’ yer bed?” He changes the subject and sticks his head through the doorframe into Hinata’s bedroom, grinning at the volleyball he could see on the desk and the posters of various teams on the wall. Some things never changed, eh?

“Like I told you on the phone, it’s fine. Pedro said I could sleep in his bed for the first few nights, as long as I don’t mess anything up, and I’ll just sleep on the couch when he’s here.” Hinata calls from the kitchen area.

Well, there went any not-so-secret hopes of sharing a bed. Probably for the best really.

“Nuh-uh, I told ya already I ain’t lettin’ ya sleep on the couch. Yer the one who’s got to play this week, I can take one or two nights not in a bed. How pampered do ya think I am?” He sets his suitcase on the floor and manfully resists the urge to collapse on the ready made bed in front of him.

Bathroom first.

Hinata laughs, and Atsumu’s heart flips at the sound. “I don’t know, you are a famous professional volleyball player, after all. You could be sleeping on beds made out of clouds for all I know.”

Atsumu snorts and reaches into his case to find his pyjamas and toiletries bag. “Stop tryin’ ta distract me, Shou. I’m takin’ the couch those last two days and ya ain’t gonna stop me.” He promises.

“We’ll see!” Hinata calls back, and Atsumu knows he is smiling. They’d probably end up racing for the couch or something and collapse on top of one another in an ungraceful heap. He can’t wait.

He showers quickly, only spending a few moments enjoying the pulsing sensation of the jet of hot water on his aching body. He changes into his pyjamas and can feel his body starting to shut down into sleep. It would take a day or two for his sleep cycle to adjust but the timing of flights meant that he’d landed in Rio in the late afternoon rather than early morning.

“You sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Hinata asks when Atsumu enters the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel. “I don’t mind making something for you.”

“Nah, I’ll eat when I wake up, besides I’m not in the right mood ta fully appreciate yer cookin’ and ‘Samu would probably kill me for that.”

“He takes food that seriously?”

Atsumu snorts. “Ya have no idea, Shou-kun. He feels about food the way I do about volleyball.”

“Oh,” Hinata says and then nods sharply. “Well, I don’t want you to risk your life, so I’ll wake you up in about three hours for dinner then.”

That should be enough for him to at least function like a normal human again. He yawns and turns to head towards the bedroom, only wanting to collapse on to it and sleep for the foreseeable future.

“Um Atsumu-san?” Hinata says and he looks back over his shoulder. Hinata looks...well, he wasn’t sure how to describe it but nervous was his best bet.

“Yeah?”

“I....I just wanted to say I’m really glad you’re here is all. I thought I wouldn’t get to see you again for another year so yeah...I’m glad you’re here and that you’re staying with me.” Hinata smiles at him. 

Part of Atsumu immediately goes into a panicked meltdown trying to figure out if there was anything more than friendship behind that sentiment and if it meant anything. Had he heard this yesterday before he got on his first flight he’s sure that his brain would have broken.

But this was not yesterday and exhaustion is doing a pretty good job of drowning out the internal screaming in his mind which left him free to act in a more reckless manner than he usually would.

His heart aches at the loneliness he can hear buried in Hinata’s voice, and before he knew it, he stepped forward and pulled him into another tight hug. There is a second of stillness before Hinata returns the hug and buries his head into Atsumu’s shoulder once more. Atsumu is glad he’d taken a shower as he no longer smells of sweat and travel, the mint shower gel he’d brought with him was a much more pleasant aroma.

“M’glad I’m here too, Shou,” he admits and slowly raises a hand to stroke Hinata’s back, another sign of comfort that he’s there in person and not stuck on the other end of a screen. Hinata squeezes him tighter, for a moment it turns almost painful, as if any distance between their bodies is too much to bear.

_ BA-THUMP. _

“I should let you rest.” Hinata pulls away though not completely, his arms go loose and his hands drop to Atsumu’s waist. “Sorry, I know you’ve had a long trip. I think I nearly crashed on one of the airport seats when I first landed.”

Atsumu chuckles. “I’m countin’ on ya ta tell me the whole story tomorrow, okay?” He moves to step away, and Hinata lets him slip through his hands. “But I seriously think I’m about ta collapse on yer floor if I don’t go to sleep now.”

Hinata looks briefly alarmed at this. “Do you need me to help you to bed then?”

Even in the state he’s in, Atsumu's mind dives straight to one place, and he can feel his ears burning.

_ He doesn’t mean it like that, ya idiot! _

“Nope, nope, nope! I’m fine, totally fine. I can sprint to the bed in this condition haha. Ya should carry on with what ya were doin’,” Atstumu babbles with all the france of a four year old. Not trusting himself to blurt out something incriminating, he swiftly walks out of the kitchen with a wave to a very confused-looking Hinata.

“Okay, hope you have a good sleep.”

_ Would be better if ya were with me. _

_ Bed now! _

Atsumu practically throws himself onto the bed causing the frame to groan under his full weight. This week is going to be absolute hell, wasn’t it? He closes his eyes and for a moment he can imagine he’s back in Hinata’s arms, clinging to him tightly and enjoying the simple pleasure of holding him.

Absolutely worth it though.

His phone beeps and he had enough energy to reach for it where he’d left it on the bedside table.

From: Samu

**> Did u get there in one piece or did u chicken out and fly somewhere else instead?**

**> And mom’s worried she hasn’t heard from u. Let her know ur ok idiot.**

Even though ‘Samu can’t see it, Atsumu stuck out his tongue. There are other messages as well, but he’d look at those later. He quickly sends a message to his mom, confirming that yes he was fine, yes Hinata had met him at the airport, and yes he hadn’t been robbed.

To: ‘Samu

**< Sent her one now. I’m in one piece.**

Instant reply.

From: ‘Samu

**> U sound weird. Get some rest and then text me back like ur normal self.**

Only ‘Samu would complain when Atsumu wasn’t rude to him. Jerk.

Sleep tugs at him and he lets himself fall, drifting off with a tired sigh and the promise of a good meal with Hinata awaiting for him once he awoke.

* * *

In the kitchen, Hinata watches Atsumu walk to his room and close the door. His eyes linger on the plain white wood and his whole body itched with the need to follow him. There’s a big part of him that still can’t believe Atsumu is here, that if he let him out of his sight for a second he’d disappear and reveal this all to be a dream.

He shakes his head and resists the slightly desperate train of thought. There’s no need for any of that, Atsumu was here for a whole week, and Hinata can give him time to rest after what was no doubt an exhausting trip.

The sounds of Rio come through the open window and he smiles at the thought of introducing Atsumu to the city tomorrow. There are so many things to do and see, the food, the smells, everything was so different from Japan, and it can be a little overwhelming.

The beach, he has to take Atsumu to the beach as well, and hopefully show him a little of what he’s learned so far. He still had a ways to go, still building himself back up after being broken on the sand and surf.

Hinata guesses he has about ninety minutes before he has to make a start on dinner, so plenty of time for some reading and a little meditation; it would help to calm his thoughts.

Atsumu had hugged him back.

He hadn’t pulled away or flinched or asked what Hinata was doing. He’d felt a flash of panic at the airport, unsure if he was still allowed to and his heart had burst into song when Atsumu had caught him and returned the hug.

And then in the kitchen, Atsumu had hugged him. He’d seen how shaky Hinata was feeling and hugged him, reassuring him more than any words could.

God, Hinata had missed him so much.

He’s glad the ease between them hasn’t changed, that Atsumu still felt like his friend and let Hinata touch him.

The only issue is how much Hinata wants to touch him. He sucks in a breath and bit his lip in frustration.

Had he actually forgotten how attractive Atsumu was in person or had one year really changed him that much? Even when he was fresh — well maybe not-so-fresh — off the flight he looked gorgeous. Hinata had frozen for a couple of seconds and while part of him was leaping for joy at seeing him again another part of him was wondering what Atsumu looked like without those dirty travel clothes on and he’d needed a moment to collect himself.

So yeah, his feelings for Atsumu have definitely not gone away, which is what he had expected. What he hadn’t expected was this new facet to them which involved pinning Atsumu against his bedroom door and showing him all the things he’d learned since the last time they kissed.

_ Fuck, I’m so screwed. _

_ I mean, hopefully yes. _

No, bad thought. He doesn’t know if Atsumu feels the same. He had kept his promise and hadn’t waited  — at least if those gossip columns from the magazines Natsu read were correct  — so Hinata couldn’t and shouldn’t assume they were on the same page.

But.

He thinks of the hugs, the happiness in Atsumu’s smile when he saw Hinata, the way he snuggled against him in the back of the taxi — and fuck if that hadn’t been a perfect mix of torture and bliss  — and how Atsumu had been the one to suggest this whole thing in the first place. He thought about all of that and smiled.

He can't assume anything about how this week would go.

But he can hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the second chapter! This won't be weekly updates like the first one but I'm hoping to update at least every 2 weeks but I'm not going to hold myself too tightly to it as I've got a couple of other things in the works :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left a kudos or comment! I've been a little slow to respond to them but I appreciate them all and your support really helps!
> 
> Feel to come say hi on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want and a massive thank you as usual to my beta reader [vanellabeann11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabeannn11/pseuds/vanellabeannn11) for all their hard work, I'd be lost without them.


	3. Chapter 3

It takes a good couple of seconds for Atsumu to remember where he is when he wakes up in the morning. He blinks at the unfamiliar ceiling, and the bedding is not his own. He briefly panics, fearing he’d fallen into that unhealthy habit again and will turn to see a stranger sleeping next to him, but his gaze falls to the posters on the wall and it disappears as quickly as it formed.

Those were Hinata’s posters, he’s seen them countless times when they’d video call one another. Right. He was in Hinata’s room. In Brazil. On holiday. A shaky breath escapes his lungs, and he runs a hand through his hair. The covers smell like Hinata, and he resists the urge to linger in them, that’s verging on creepy and he’s not too far gone to realise that.

Hinata greets him when he exits the room, and Atsumu’s heart flips. He’d forgotten how intoxicating simply being in the other’s presence was, but it’s all come roaring back now.

“Morning. Did you sleep okay last night?” Hinata asks while setting the small table for two. Atsumu moves forward and begins to help as best he can.

“Like a baby, that flight took more out of me than I thought.”

“Yeah, you were a little loopy yesterday.” Hinata chuckles and motions for him to sit. “Hope I didn’t wake you when I got up this morning.” 

Atsumu inhales the smell of breakfast, and his mouth starts to water. There’s a lot of food in front of him, but it should just be enough for two athletes. “Nah, didn’t hear ya. I was out like a light, don’t think anythin’ cept my mom’s voice woulda worked. Are ya usually up early?”

Hinata nods and takes a sip of his drink. “I go for a morning run and then some yoga before I head off for work.” He catches sight of the stunned look on Atsumu’s face. “Don’t worry, I’ve got the whole week off, so I can spend it with you. I’m not going to let you try and navigate Rio alone.”

Hinata has greatly misread how Atsumu is feeling. While yes, he is glad and touched that Hinata took the week off to spend it with him, that is not the part of the conversation that his brain is stuck on.

_ Hinata does yoga. _

_ Every morning. _

_ Fuck. _

Before his mind can leap down that particular rabbit hole, he takes a long drink. “Morning run, huh? Do ya mind if I join ya one day?”

Hinata looks at him with a frown. “Sure, but aren’t you supposed to be resting? It is your holiday after all.”

Atsumu waves away the concern with his hand. “I’d be pullin’ my hair out if I didn’t do some exercise, and if yer still plannin’ on takin’ me ta every food place ya recommended, I’m gonna need to stay in shape.” He grins sharply at Hinata, a hint of the anticipation that’s been bubbling under his skin since he booked his flight peaking through. “Besides, I wanna play volleyball with ya again while I’m here. Beach or court, I’m not picky.”

He’d prefer the court as he has no idea what playing on sand will do to him — Hinata’s tales of his initial struggle with adjustment ring warning bells in his head — but he promised himself before he left that he was going to toss to Hinata while he was here.

Hinata stares at him with wide eyes, shock and delight war for dominance on his face. He’s frozen and Atsumu has a second of nervousness — has he overstepped? — before Hinata stands up and slams his hands on the table. He grins ear to ear and the air around him sparkles with joy.

“Really?! You’d want to toss to me here?” He asks as if the answer could be anything other than yes.

“Of course I do, Shou, yer gonna be my spiker one day, remember?” He teases, like the promises they made to one another aren’t engraved in marble in his mind. “I wanna see what a year of beach has done ta ya.”

_ Apart from turning ya into a Greek god. _

They look at each other for a moment both wearing stupid smiles as they realise how little has changed between them. The two boys who love volleyball with their entire beings are still there despite the years and the distance, and Atsumu thinks it’s enough for now.

_ I ain’t gonna lose ya, Shouyou. _

“I think that’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Hinata sits back down, but his aura continues to radiate happiness, and if that smile gets any brighter, Atsumu will have to get his sunglasses. “Today I want to show you the city, and not just the tourist stuff either.”

“Sounds like a plan.” 

The first day is a blur of sounds and colours. They run into three separate strangers who stop to speak to Hinata, and Atsumu stands to the side uncomprehending the rush of Portuguese which floods over him. But each time Hinata looks at him and cuts the conversation short, tugging Atsumu onwards and waving at his friends as they head to another part of the city. 

The main stop of the morning is a gorgeous public park called  _ Parque Lage.  _ Atsumu spends most of the trip gawking at the scenery and the beautiful mansion Hinata pulls him around. Lush greenery, an artificial cave and even a small aquarium full of brightly coloured fish. It’s a stark reminder how little he’s seen of the world outside Japan. He can hear monkeys chittering and bird songs, and the mansion casts an impressive figure.

He would have taken more photos if he hadn’t been so distracted by the way Hinata tugs him around the place. Casually pulling on his sleeve, pushing him forward, or even linking their arms together when he took too long at one spot. It felt easy, natural, and Atsumu wished he could return the touches without worrying about letting them linger too long. It’s stupid, but every spot that Hinata’s hand brushes against feels warm and tingly, and Atsumu kinda wants to scream a little.

For lunch, Hinata insists he try  _ Picanha,  _ a charred, smoky meat that melts in his mouth and he has to stop himself from moaning. He was raised with Osamu, he knows how to appreciate a good meal. He takes a photo of his plate and sends it to his brother. It’s about an hour before he gets a reply, and Atsumu gets the feeling he’s unknowingly succeeded in making his brother jealous

From: Samu

**> This holiday is wasted on u. I hope u paid for Shouyou too.**

Atsumu feels a spike of annoyance and scowls at his phone. They’re walking through a busy market now with Hinata pointing out different ingredients and little trinkets that would make cool souvenirs. 

“Everything okay, Atsumu?” He asks, and Atsumu drops his scowl.

“Just ‘Samu being irritatin’. Ya should tell Yama-kun that he can do better. I tried, but he’s known ya for longer and might listen ta reason.”

Hinata laughs and he nudges Atsumu’s side. “Sorry, don’t think I can do that. Yamaguchi’s pretty smitten.”

The part of Atsumu that cares for his brother’s happiness  — all of him — is glad at the knowledge but the petulant sibling part of him — also all of him — pouts and shoves his phone in his pocket **.**

“Please, I bet he had nothin’ on ‘Samu. I swear all I heard for an entire year was how nice Yamaguchi was, how helpful he could be, how cute he looked in a sweater when the temperature dropped. Disgusting.” If he hadn’t already experienced pining Osamu during school, he wouldn’t have been able to cope.

“I don’t know. Yamaguchi was pretty gone too. I have several incriminating texts from him ranting in great detail about Osamu-san and his amazing food and even more amazing body. It’s the closet I’ve seen Tsukishima come to murder since high school.” Hinata talks as he weaves through the crowd. He walks calmly, easily navigating his way to a less populated area, while Atsumu gets hit by five bags and a stick as he follows him. 

_ He fits here now. _

“Nope, I won’t accept that he was worse than ‘Samu. Do you have any idea how nervous he was when they went out on that ‘not-date’ together?” Atsumu asks.

“I nearly forgot about that. What was the idea again? Scoping out the competition or something?”

“Yep.”

“Even though the place didn’t sell onigiri.”

“Yep.”

“And was one of Yamaguchi’s favourite places to eat.”

“That’s the one.”

Hinata bursts out laughing, loud enough that several people glance across, and Atsumu smiles at the ridiculousness of his brother’s plan.

_ It worked though, didn’t it? _

“Man, I always thought Osamu-san was the more cool-headed of you two, but you’re both equally silly about some things.” Hinata wipes his eyes and grins at Atsumu so happily that any protest about his own cool-headedness dies swiftly on his tongue. “I think he just hides it better.”

“Trust me, there was nothin’ cool-headed about any of that debacle. Do ya know how long he spent trying to perfect french fries for Yama-kun? I swear at one point the only thing in his kitchen was potatoes.” Atsumu had been in the rare situation of having to cook for Osamu for once, and he’d have enjoyed lording it over his twin more if the guy hadn’t looked so happy about the single text from Yamaguchi praising the deliciousness of his fries and thanking Osamu for making them.

The lovelorn look on Osamu’s face had been too similar to the one Atsumu had seen in the mirror when he was thinking of Hinata, and he’d let his brother pine in peace for a minute before relentlessly teasing the chef for the state of his kitchen.

“Believe me, I heard more than enough about those fries. You’d have thought Osamu had proposed with how happy he was.” Hinata tugs him into a side street. Atsumu wishes he’d keep holding on longer, wishes he could casually reach out and hold Hinata’s hand as easily as Hinata touches him.

“Suna was a little annoyed, I think,” Atsumu says as he dodges the next plank of wood that’s nearly swung at his head. “Not havin’ as much luck with his own touchy crow.”

Hinata huffs a half laugh and pauses at the next stand. Orange, lemon and other citrus fruit smells tickle Atsumu’s nose. “Does he actually call Tsukishima that? And if he does, how is he still alive.”

“He probably has a network of people willin’ ta offer him shelter. That man has dirt on everyone, I swear.” Including a worrying amount of embarrassing Atsumu content that Hinata can never ever see. Off to the sides the sounds of the bustling market fade into the background. “I swear the lot of ya cast some sort of spell on us poor foxes. Suna’s the third one so far.”

Beside him, Hinata freezes, and it takes less than a millisecond for Atsumu to realise what he’s inadvertently brought up without thinking.

_ Abort! Abort now! You are not ready for this. _

He can feel Hinata’s gaze turn to him, and he determinedly does not look in his direction. “I mean I guess it’s not surprisin’ ya were a pretty incredible team back then, came out of nowhere and whacked us out of nationals in our first match. One hell of an introduction.”

“Atsumu, I —”

_ No. Not now. Not like this. I’m not ready yet. _

“And then there was that trainin’ camp in my last year. That was pretty fun, wasn’t it.” He’s babbling and he knows it, an endless spout of meaningless drivel pours from his mouth in a vain attempt to wipe away his carelessly spoken words.

Hinata grabs his hand, and Atsumu shuts up. His mouth snapping closed at the gentle hesitant touch, he’s not one to be quieted so easily, but Hinata has always been his exception. He can’t place the look in his friend’s eyes as Hinata stares up at him, but it turns his throat as dry as a desert. He tries to ignore the ease in which Hinata’s hand fits in his, like a key into a lock, threatening to unshackle everything that Atsumu has pushed down this past year in order to cope.

“Atsumu,” Hinata repeats his name and reaches up to trace the underside of Atsumu’s jaw. It might as well be on fire given how the simple touch sears into his skin, he almost expects to see a brand when he next looks in the mirror. “Do you—”

A loud string of Portuguese interrupts whatever Hinata was about to say and they both turn to see a very annoyed looking Brazillian man carrying six bags. The intruder gestures to them and says more words that Atsumu can’t understand, his brain stuck in whatever spell Hinata had cast on him.

“Uhh?” 

Hinata grabs his hand and yanks them out of the way. He waves to man and bows his head in a clear apology. The man huffs once and carries on his path followed by a stream of other shoppers who they’d unknowingly blocked the street for.

“Whoops, didn’t realise where we were. Come on, I’ve still got a lot to show you.” Hinata grins at him. Part of Atsumu wants to argue and wants to know exactly what Hinata was going to ask him but a larger part of him collapses in relief at the way out.

“I still wanna see that big statue up close, the one on all the postcards.” It’s a big touristy thing to do but he needs to, it’s like a rite of passage for visiting the city.

“Yeah, yeah. Let me pick up some cabbage and black beans, and we can head over to the cog train.” Atsumu cheers and lets Hinata pull him back into the madness of the market. Hinata doesn’t release his hand, and Atsumu doesn’t say anything. If he keeps quiet, there’s less chance of Hinata letting go. It’s terribly selfish, but he never claimed to be a saint. They lose themselves back in the crowd and the thumping music of the city, Atsumu squeezes Hinata’s hand a little, not worried for a second that he’ll get lost with such a guide.

* * *

Osamu’s phone beeps at 4am: loud, annoying and rousing Osamu from his sleep with a groan. He’s tempted to ignore it, there’s only one person on earth who could be messaging him now and a twelve hour time difference is only part of the problem.

But.

Atsumu’s been pretty wound up lately, and this whole holiday deal had only made him more nervous not less. Not surprising given the boatload of history and feelings attached to it, but he really hopes the whole thing works.

His phone is full of agitated texts from his brother ranging from his performance to the niggling worry that he could be replaced at any second.

_ Which is ridiculous. ‘Tsumu is the best setter on the team, one of the best in Japan. Even on his bad days he’s worth three times as much as a normal player. _

This has the added effect of making Osamu worry as well. Because he’s not there this time, and this isn’t a simple problem that he can just whack Atsumu on the head and make it better. Osamu wants to be the happier twin, but he doesn’t want to claim the title because Atsumu is miserable. 

He’s only shared a few words with him since he left, and he may have exaggerated their mom’s worry to make sure the idiot hadn’t actually died after stepping off the plane.

Sleep calls to him, and it would be so easy to drift back into his dream. The images are vague, but there was definitely a lot of rice and the smell of Yamaguchi’s coffee stained hoodie, and he really wants to sink back into it.

Beside him, his boyfriend snores softly, content in his own dream and looking unfairly adorable so early in the morning. It’s a rare night when Yamaguchi gets to stay over, but Osamu takes full advantage when he can. The knowledge of how hard Yamaguchi works to visit him all the way in Hyogo, and the toll it must be taking on him makes Osamu’s heart clench. There are bags under his eyes that weren’t there a couple of months ago, and he wants nothing more than to wipe them away. 

But he can’t. All he can do is pull him close and smile as Yamaguchi snuggles closer into his side, mumbling some nonsense about a giant pig before quieting back down. With his other hand Osamu reaches for his phone.

_ If this is a shitty joke or insult, I’m gonna murder him when he sets foot on Japanese soil. _

He unlocks the phone and clicks the notification, angling the phone away from his partner so the light doesn’t disturb him.

The message loads and Osamu’s eyes widen a little. He blinks as his tired brain processes the photo displayed on his screen.

The world famous statue is easy to recognise even in his half-awake state. Christ the Redeemer looks a little smaller than he expected but still very impressive against the clear blue sky, and it’s all a matter of perspective really. At the base two men stand side by side, Atsumu’s arm over Hinata’s shoulder and Hinata’s around Atsumu’s waist. Their other arms are held up to the sides in a mimicry of the landmark and smiling. Well, Hinata is smiling, Atsumu has his tongue sticking out like a child.

Osamu’s eyes linger on Atsumu’s face. No stress, no worry, no frustration. There’s only so much he can tell from a single photo, but it’s enough to make the knot of concern in Osamu’s chest loosen a little.

Hinata looks good. Brazil has clearly left a mark on him, and whatever training he’s been doing has done wonders for his body. Osamu tries to glean any clue to how he feels about the pose, but he doesn’t know him nearly as well. Happy, he eventually lands on, Hinata looks genuinely happy, and Osamu hopes for his own sanity that it’s because of Atsumu’s presence.

He takes note of the Onigiri Miya cap and bites his lip to stop himself laughing, or maybe crying. 

* * *

He shoots back a reply that’s only a little insulting before switching his phone to silent and setting it back down. He’s smiling a little as he surrenders himself to sleep once more. There’s about another two hours before he needs to wake up proper, and he intends to make the most of it.

It’s the second full day of Atsumu’s trip, and Hinata is finding it difficult to meditate that morning. Every time he reaches for his place of focus and calm his brain reminds him of Atsumu’s presence with all the subtlety of a circus. 

_ He’s there. He’s right there behind that door.  _

_ You can see him. You can hear him. You can touch him. _

That last thought he has to strangle and lock in a box lest it breaks free at an inopportune time. After that  _ moment  _ at the market he’s tentatively hopeful that maybe just maybe Atsumu still feels the same about him.

_ God, he'd wanted to kiss him so bad. Wanted to kiss away the flash of fear and doubt he’d seen cross Atsumu’s face as he stumbled over his words. Crows and foxes, huh? Personally, Hinata thought it was the foxes doing the charming with the poor crows caught in their grasps. Atsumu’s skin was warm to the touch, Hinata’s fingers tingled, and it would have been so easy to reach a little further up and pull the man down to relive that moment last year in Hinata’s front garden. _

_ Would he taste the same? Would it be better? Worse? Would Atsumu let Hinata take more this time? He wasn’t the same inexperienced teenager he had been, and he wanted to show Atsumu exactly what he had learned. _

_ The shout to move out of the way had been a jarring reminder that he couldn’t do any of that. Not there on the street at least. _

Hope is a dangerous thing, and he has to hold himself back from letting it colour his perspective. Atsumu is too important for that. It doesn’t help that Pedro’s bed is far too squishy for him to get comfortable in, and he can’t seem to get a peaceful night sleep in it. Maybe it’s time to move to the couch? 

But he thinks that today he has an excuse for his jumpiness and the wild pounding of his heart. Not only is Atsumu here in his flat, he’s also going to play with him again. Atsumu was going to toss to him, and if Hinata isn’t careful, he’s going to do something outstandingly stupid because of it. 

Beach volleyball in the morning and then he’d take Atsumu to Lucio’s gym and they could play on an actual court. As fun as it was going to be watching Atsumu on the sand, Hinata was desperate to play with him at his best.

Even better, Heitor was going to meet them on the beach, and he could introduce his friend to his hopefully-one-day-more-than-friend. Heitor had certainly heard more than enough of Hinata waxing lyrical over his feelings, payback for all the times Hinata had listened to Heitor’s pining over Nice.

Yep, it’s going to be a fantastic day.

Hinata fully believes that. Right up until he sees Atsumu dressed in his so-called beach mode and nearly has a heart attack.

Broad shoulders, arms on full display, a pair of shorts that cling to his thighs in a way that shouldn’t be legal and the tank top that does absolutely nothing to hide his drool-worthy abs.

Miya Atsumu normally? Heart achingly handsome and gorgeous and leaves Hinata in a constant case of wanting to kiss that infuriating smirk off his mouth.

Beach Miya Atsumu? Hinata doesn’t want to see him on the beach. Doesn’t want to see him outside at all actually. The only place Hinata wants to see this Atsumu is on his bed coming apart under his hands. Hinata wants to climb him like a tree and grind that height difference between them into nothing. He wants to bite the column of his throat and claim the man as his.

“Did I pack the right stuff? Yer lookin’ at me real hard there, Shou.”

“Y-Yeah. It’s good, you look —”

_ Hot. Perfect. Divine. Delicious. Sexy.  _

“—good. ” He knows how to use words.

Atsumu looks relieved, like he really has no idea how amazing he looks right now. And he’s just standing in Hinata’s apartment. When they get to the beach in the light of day under the heat of the sun, he’s going to look —

_ Fuck. The guys are going to eat him alive. _

Hinata is struck by the realisation that today is going to end with either him killing someone or submerging himself in the coldest part of the sea he can find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everyone had a happy holiday and looking forward to a brighter 2021. Thank you for all of your comments and support it means so much :) Also yes this is now a 6 chapter story. 
> 
> Feel free to come say hi on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want, I post snippets from my WIP's and sometimes cool graphics to go with my fics as well! As usual a massive thank you as usual to my beta reader [vanellabean11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabean11/pseuds/vanellabean11) for all their hard work, they've been super busy so I really appreciate all of their help!


	4. Chapter 4

There’s a few awkward minutes when they make their way to the beach where Atsumu isn’t sure if Hinata is joking or not about him looking good. He keeps catching Hinata staring at him then quickly looking away when he realises he’s been caught. Those big brown eyes look him up and down before Hinata bites his lips and forces himself to look ahead.

_ Is he trying to hold in a laugh?  _

_ I thought this looked right from what I saw but maybe I skewed something up. _

_ He’d say something if I was really gonna embarrass myself, right? _

He’s just about mustered the courage to bring it up again when they turn a corner, and he has to swallow them back down.

“Whoa,” he whispers, utterly awed by the beauty of the scene in front of him. Atsumu’s seen beaches before, he’s felt the sand between his toes — and all the other places that sand inevitably ends up — and smelt the sea breeze as he and Osamu tried to drown each other without their mother noticing. He never succeeded at that, but he did learn that saltwater burned unpleasantly when inhaled up his nose.

But there are beaches, and then there’s the beach in front of him which looks like it’s been photoshopped on someone’s Instagram page for a perfect vacation picture.

It’s beautiful. Fine sand, a clear blue sea, the caw of gulls and several volleyball nets already set up in the early morning sun. It’s a place that hums with energy, and the air is full of voices and laughter.

No wonder Hinata wanted to come here. It was paradise.

“I know, it’s pretty amazing, right? I’ve gotten used to most things now, but this place always takes me by surprise.” Hinata admits with a soft grin. There’s a reverent awe in his gaze that seems a little out of place with the boy Atsumu knew in Japan. He’s quieter, more thoughtful, that manic energy is still there, but now it’s controlled and ready to jump out only when needed.

_ Hopefully on me please! _

Atsumu shakes his head and turns his attention back to the beach. Thankfully it’s not crawling with tourists yet though that might be down to how early the pair of them have arrived. Apparently Hinata doesn’t believe in sleeping in even on holidays, and Atsumu wants to spend as much time with him as possible, even if that means yawning his way through breakfast. 

“Ya said we were meetin’ yer partner here, right? Can ya see him?” He tries to ignore the way the word partner stings like lemon juice in his mouth and hopes the jealousy in his heart isn’t obvious in his voice.

Either Hinata doesn’t notice or he’s too polite to mention it because he simply raises his hand to protect his eyes from the sun as he scans the beach for the  _ amazing _ Heitor Santana he’s heard so much about.

“Hmm, not yet he might be over by the—” Hinata yawns and Atsumu frowns.

“Ya sure yer sleepin’ okay? If yer not comfortable then—” he’s not sure exactly what he’s going to offer...

_ Take yer bed back.  _

_ Preferably with me in it. _

But Hinata cuts him off with a vigorous shake of his head.

“No way! I already told you, you’re the guest and you get the best bed. Pedro’s bed just uh...doesn’t agree with me. I’ll take the couch, it’ll be fine.” 

An image of Hnata’s couch pops into his head: cheap, a little stained, a little torn, definitely not offering much lumbar support. He flicks Hinata on the forehead with a scowl.

“No way yer gettin’s good night’s sleep on that thing. Thought ya had gotten better at takin’ care of yerself. Didn’t ya say ya have another beach tourney next week? I ain’t gonna be the reason yer not in the best shape. Let me take the couch.” It’s the argument they’ve been having back and forth since Atsumu agreed to stay at Hinata’s place.

“You’re on vacation, you’re meant to be resting! How could I look Bokuto-san in the eye if I sent you back even more tired than before?” Hinata shoots back and glares up at him. Atsumu wants to grin, they aren’t teenagers anymore, they’ve both grown up both physically and emotionally, but he feels so  _ so  _ relieved that Hinata is still shorter than him. He’s grown in other ways — he wants to run his hands along those broad shoulders and drag his nails down that fucking mouthwatering back — but he’s always going to be short for a volleyball player.

“First of all, how long have you and Bokuto been talkin’ about me?” He folds his arms as Hinata bites his lip and looks away.

“He was....well, he was worried about you, okay? He wanted to make sure you had a good time. Not that I was going to give you a bad time or anything!” Hinata starts to babble and Atsumu rubs his face.

Of course. Of course, Bokuto would stick his nose in things. He really didn’t want Hinata treating him like some fragile damsel in distress because Bokuto had blabbed about his less than stellar condition lately.

“Right then.” He cuts Hinata off and his grin turns sharp. “Nothing for it, I’ll have to show ya how not-tired I am when we play together. Hope ya can keep up, Shou-kun.” Yes he had been planning on taking it easy when they got here, but who was he kidding? There was never any chance of that with Hinata by his side, he’d get too excited and caught up in it to hold back.

Hinata blinks at him and cocks his head to the side. He looks Atsumu up and down again, more assessing this time than that weird look from earlier, before smirking back equally as fiercely. 

“Funny, I was about to say the same to you. Sand’s quite different to a court, just try not to swallow any when you fall over.”

What a pair they made. Atsumu had missed him so much.

“And I’ll be waitin’ for ya to eat those words at the end of all this.” A group of people walk by, and he steps out of their way when he looks back to Hinata he bites back a curse. He stepped closer into Hinata’s personal space than he’d meant to and now he was inches away from that determined  _ hungry  _ face that had featured in more than one of his dreams.

_ Shit. Back away, back away now before ya snap and kiss him. _

_ Ya can say it’s a friend kiss! _

_ What the fuck is that? Yer gonna spoil everythin’ if ya do that. _

Hinata’s eyes flickered briefly to Atsumu’s mouth.

_ He wants ya to kiss him. _

Atsumu swallows, his throat suddenly bone dry, and rasps, “Shouyou?” Could he really?

Hinata sucks in a breath and Atsumu can feel it on his face. “I…’Tsu—”

“Ninja Shouyou!” The unknown voice shatters the moment as effectively as a bull in a china shop and Atsumu all but jumps back as a man approaches them. It takes a second for him to realise that this is Heitor — he’s seen enough photos of him and Hinata to last a lifetime thank you — he quickly pastes on a smile and hopes the burning in his cheeks can be blamed on the heat of the sun.

Hinata also startles back but recovers quickly, bounding over to Heitor with a laugh and excitedly chattering in Portuguese. It gives Atsumu time to collect himself and when he walks over to the two friends, he feels less like he’s about to spontaneously combust.

Heitor is taller than him, which is annoying, and also very touchy with Hinata, which is teeth-grindingly irritating, but his smile is welcoming and with Hinata acting as a translator they get something of a conversation going while they wait for Heitor’s temporary partner to arrive. Atsumu is playing with Hinata, of course.

He learns bits and pieces of the history between the two of them: how they met, how they became partners, the fun they had playing together yada yada. As he listens, Atsumu can’t escape the feeling that part of the conversation isn’t getting through to him. Hinata will either offer a shorter translation than what Heitor says or avert his eyes and jump to another subject without warning. Heitor seems to notice as well, and there’s laughter in his eyes as he looks between them. 

Ten minutes later another man joins their group. He has a calm aura around him and introduces himself as Inacio. They swiftly move to one of the empty nets, and Atsumu gets his first taste of beach volleyball.

Or rather he gets a taste of sand as he falls face first onto the ground when he goes for a receive.

“What the hell?” He spits out a mouthful of sand. It feels like he’s playing on mud. It’s slow and sucks him down. Has Hinata really been playing on it for a year now?

Hinata laughs and helps him up. “I hate to be the one who says I told you so but…” he says with a cheeky smile. Atsumu rolls his eyes and brushes his top.

“You love ta say I toldja so, don’t lie.” He turns back to their opponents, looking far too smug in Atsumu’s opinion. “I’m gonna figure this out just watch.” He’s never been one to back down from a challenge.

And what a challenge it is.

It’s as if all of his skill has taken a break for two hours, and it’s infuriating. Receives, serves, even just moving across the sand is all a struggle, and he has to push himself even harder to keep up a basic competency.

But it’s fun too.

Hinata’s cheers and shouts ring in his ears, and they high five after winning a point. Just how long has it been since he’s played a game that wasn’t a training match or a league game? It’s freeing, a pressure that he hadn’t even realised was there lifting with every clumsy movement and sloppy play.

Atsumu isn’t too self absorbed by his own struggle to not see how much Hinata has improved. Wild instinct has settled into focused intent, he has a greater awareness of the players in the match, and his receives...well, they would be enough to make Inunaki whistle.

Hinata tosses to him.

Really it’s something he should have expected. With only two players on a team, it was bound to happen, but it still comes as a surprise.

The ball flies over the net towards Atsumu. With a grunt, he manages to get it back in the air in Hinata’s general direction. 

“Nice receive,” Hinata calls out and then takes up a very familiar stance. It’s a stance Atsumu has seen hundreds of times, one he’s done himself thousands of times, and he recognises it instantly when Hinata raises his hands to the sky with his fingers outstretched.

He’s going to toss the ball.

It’s hard to say why it hits him so hard, he only knows that he’s suddenly scrambling to get up in time to spike it. 

Atsumu jumps.

Hinata sends him the ball.

_ WHAM. _

It’s not the best toss he’s ever been sent, and he doesn’t hit it as cleanly as he usually would. But he’s beaming when his feet hit the sand again and when he turns around Hinata is running towards him with a whoop.

“Shouyou, did ya just—”

“Oh, wow that was awesome! I was worried I sent it too close to the net for a second.”

“Well, I mean ya kinda did, and maybe next time put it a bit higher for me.” There will never be a universe where he isn’t going to judge someone’s setting skills. It’s impossible, even if it’s Hinata he’s talking to.

Luckily, Hinata is a much better person than most — his brother, his teammates — and he doesn’t scowl at him for the helpful advice. Instead he nods and looks down at his hands.

“I know I’ve still got a lot to learn about tossing, it’s way more difficult than I first thought.” Atsumu snorts at that. “But I’m already way better at it than I ever thought I could be, and it’s nice to be the one tossing to  _ you _ for a change.” 

The weight of the word ‘you’ doesn’t escape his notice, but before he can ask about it Heitor calls out to them to stop jabbering and start the next point. At least that’s what Atsumu assumes he does because Hinata turns red and returns to his spot.

A year. Just a year and he’s already turned into a stronger monster than before. What’s he going to be like after another? Bubbles of anticipation start to pop in Atsumu’s brain, he’s been so good at pushing them down to focused on his own career and ignoring the gaping void in his chest when he thought about his friend on the other side of the world to think about what it would be like when Hinata actually returns.

The rest of the league better watch out because Atsumu’s favourite spiker is going to crush them into the dust.

He pulls his cap down further to hide the elated, hungry grin that sneaks across his face.

He can’t wait.

They play for about two hours, and Atsumu embarresses himself more than he’d like to, but Heitor and Ignacio are good sports about the thing and the carefree nature of the match helps. He and Hinata do agree to pay for drinks at lunch which seems a fair compromise, but they’ve got some time before they go eat, and Atsumu wants to enjoy the beach without swallowing half of it thank you very much.

There’s a spot fairly close to the nets that’s free and he and Hinata set themselves up there, promising to meet up with Heitor and Ignacio at ‘Nice’s bar’ for lunch.

Tired and ready to starfish out on the sand to soak up the sun, Atsumu pulls off his tank top. It’s soaked with sweat and he grimaces a little when he thinks of putting it back on. 

“Gahhhunmm!” 

Splat.

_ What? _

He looks to his left and sees Hinata kneeling next to him, a newly opened bottle of sunscreen in one hand and a glob of it in the other. He’s staring at Atsumu with wide shocked eyes and an open mouth, seemingly uncaring as sunscreen starts to drip through his fingers. His eyes flicker back and forth between Atsumu’s face and chest and he makes a faint wheezing sound.

Feeling a stab on unusual self-consciousness Atsumu reaches for his top again. It’s not like he’s the only guy without a shirt on, but then again those men are Brazillian and are unfortunately way more attractive than he’d hoped they would be.

“What?” He asks cautiously, bracing himself for another blow to his ego. 

Hinata gulps and looks to the side. “Nothing! Absolutely nothing’s wrong, it’s all great and fantastic and hot….hot, yes! Like the sun haha, which is what I meant to say. Do you need uh— this?” He outstretches his hand, the one with the blob of melting sunscreen on it, towards Atsumu and falls quiet.

It takes Atsumu a few seconds to piece that word jumble together, but when he does he’s immediately caught between two emotions of ‘ _ fuck yes’ _ and  _ ‘he’s trying to kill me’.  _ One of those emotions is quicker than the other though, and before he knows what he’s doing he’s turned his back to Hinata and scooched closer to him.

“Sure, can ya do my back for me?” He asks like he hasn’t just sentenced himself to a slow and painful death.

Hinata makes another odd wheezing noise, but Atsumu feels the heat from his body as he moves behind him. It takes all his self control not to tense his shoulders when a shaky sunscreen-covered hand touches his back.

Hinata is methodical, his hands gentle on Atsumu’s skin and touching him with care that contributes more to his pounding heart than he can stand. The sunscreen is cool against his warm back, but it might as well be molten lava with the way it burns into him like a brand under Hinata’s careful, revenant ministrations.

Fingers slide down his spine. A thumb presses into his shoulder. Atsumu’s afraid to close his eyes because if he does he’s going to be picturing this scene outside of the innocent setting, and his shorts don’t leave much to the imagination.

“You okay?” Hinata asks softly as his hands inch lower and lower down Atsumu’s back. It’s both a relief and a curse to realise that Hinata sounds breathless and just as nervous as Atsumu. What it could mean and what has been bubbling unsaid between them since Atsumu has arrived here all whirl around in his head with no resolution in sight.

“M’fine,” he lies, unwilling to do anything that might cause Hinata to pull his hands away. Is this what a dog feels like when it’s being petted? What would it feel like if Hinata stroked his hair and pulled him down and— “A little cold that’s all.”

Hinata hums, but they stay silent as he finishes up. Atsumu’s wonders if he’s only imagining the way his hands seem to linger on his back, pausing ever so slightly before they move on, but puts it down to his own desperate imagining.

“All done,” Hinata says and Atsumu has to bite back the whine that wants to escape when he pulls away.

“Thanks.” He turns around and holds out a hand. “Come on, I’ll do ya next.”

…

_ WAIT?! NO! _

“Uhh?” Hinata’s voice reaches a pitch Atsumu didn’t know that men could reach and he’s turned a shade of red that he’s only ever seen on traffic lights.

“Do yer back! I meant do yer back! Like ya did me...mine! Like what ya just did then for me and protecting yerself from the sun is important, especially here where it’s sunny all the time.” He panics, and snatches the bottle out of Hinata’s hands and squeezes a glob onto his own. “So turn around, and I’ll get started.”

“S-Sure.” Hinata does as he’s told, and this is either the worst or best idea he’s ever had because suddenly all that sun-kissed skin is right in front of him, and he’s allowed to touch and—

_ The second we get to the gym I’m taking the coldest shower in the world. _

He sucks in a breath and starts to slather Hinata’s back in sunscreen. Despite his, admittedly weak, resolve he catalogues everything; the warmth of his skin, the dips and peaks of his back, the way Hinata tenses when he runs a firm hand along his spine all the way up to his neck, how big his hands look against Hinata’s waist, and the thrum of crackling energy that’s contained within this amazing, breathtaking man whose claim on Atsumu’s heart has never wavered.

The moment ends too soon, but Atsumu takes some comfort from the fact that Hinata can’t seem to meet his eyes afterwards either.

It’s nice to imagine he’s not the only lovesick moron in this relationship.

* * *

As he tucks into dinner that evening — steak with fried eggs that just melts in his mouth — in Hinata’s apartment Atsumu briefly considers telling ‘Samu he has competition for the coveted ‘best cook Atsumu knows’ position but decides against it. For one, it would reveal that ‘Samu currently holds that position, and the gloating would never end, and for two, ‘Samu has enough on his plate making sure his restaurant finds its feet in these first few months without throwing himself into some imaginary competition.

He still groans appreciatively as flavour races along his tongue. “Don’t tell yer friend, Nice, but this is way better than that lunch we had at her bar.” They’d gone there for lunch, and Atsumu had found it much easier to get on with Heitor once he saw how in love the other man was with their friendly server. The fact that they had been together for a year already and therefore he couldn’t have been someone Hinata had maybe had a fling with was completely irrelevant too. 

Hinata chuckles and takes a drink. “That’s because she cooks genuine Brazillian food, and you’re not used to it yet. But thanks for the compliment, I’m still learning.”

The rest of the day had been spent in the gym owned by Lucio, Hinata’s mentor, and walking along the stunning coastline in Rio. Atsumu may have gotten slightly better on the sand by the end of their morning games, but nothing compared to the feel of the court beneath him. They hadn’t been able to do much with just a corner of the gym to use and only two of them, but it was more than enough for Atsumu.

Their connection was just as strong as ever.

Hinata’s eyes when he’d landed after hitting one of his tosses had been sparkling. 

“One more,” Atsumu had said already reaching for another ball. “I’m gonna toss ta ya again.” He hadn’t missed the relieved pleasure on Hinata’s face or forgotten the tales he’d heard of the scrappy middle schooler who would beg for every toss he could get. Atsumu would give him everything he wanted.

Every toss he sent was on point. That dark cloud that had been hanging over him the past few months banished by the light of the sun and he wanted to whoop to the sky.

Bokuto had been right. He’d needed this. Both the holiday and the time with Hinata.

That didn’t mean it was all perfect though.

“Look Shou, I ain’t afraid of carryin’ ya to yer own bed if ya keep bein’ so stubborn. I’ll take the couch.” Atsumu crosses his arms and frowns down at his host. “Ya were yawnin’ a lot today, don’t think I didn’t notice.”

They’re standing in the middle of Hinata’s apartment after dinner facing off with an unusually serious air. The dishes have all been cleaned and put away and night has fallen bringing a cool relief from the heat. It would have been a calm, peaceful atmosphere if they hadn’t been arguing about the stupid sleeping arrangements.

“No way. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, you're the guest. You get the more comfortable bed and I know you don’t like squishy mattresses or covers, so Pedro’s bed won’t work for you.” There were times where the intimate knowledge between two old friends was a soothing reminder of their bond that had lasted even with the vast distance between them. Other times — like this one — it was a pain in the ass because it meant that Atsumu couldn’t bluff his way out.

“Yer the one with a tournament next week. I’m not gonna back down on this, Shouyou.” Atsumu was never going to be the reason Hinata was held back even over something as trivial as a good night’s sleep. “I’ll take the couch.”

Hinata looks about two seconds away from stomping his foot in frustration. “And you’re the professional athlete meant to be resting. I know how important sleep is—”

“Good! Then ya understand why yer the one who should get the bed.”

“Atsumu.”

“Shouyou.” He sighs and rubs his forehead. “I’m not going to be able to sleep easily if I know yer out there on the couch or the bed ya can’t sleep in.”

“Then let’s sleep together.”

…

_ I’m hearing things aren’t I? There’s no way he said what I think he said. Either that or I’m dreamin’ again and in about two seconds I’m gonna push him against the wall and kiss him. _

“Huh—”

Hinata starts flailing his arms around, face beet red with mortification and voice turning shrill. “I mean in the same bed! Sleeping. Together. In. The. Same. Bed. That’s all, like friends do. Didn’t you ever share a bed with a friend when ya were a kid?” 

The part of Atsumu’s brain that is still functioning can’t recall ever sharing a bed with anyone apart from ‘Samu, and they’d complained about it so much that their mother had bought them a bunk bed to shut them up. The other part of his brain is all red flashing lights and warning sirens, with the word ‘bed’ blaring on big electronic screens.

“Uh.” He knows how to use words. He went to school. “I-I mean if yer okay with it then sure.”

Hinata stops flailing and stares at him. Atsumu probably gave in way too quickly, didn’t he. Now he sounds as eager as he actually is.

“I-I’m okay with it.”.

Atsumu laughs nervously. “I guess that’s sorted then.”

* * *

_ This was a terrible, wonderful idea. _

Atsumu is facing the wall with his back turned to the door when Hinata slides into the bed next to him. It’s not a double, and they’re both two fully grown men, so it’s going to be a tight fit. No room to make a pillow or blanket barrier between them so the best they can do is sleep back to back even though that sounds really awkward.

He nearly hisses when he feels Hinata’s body heat in the space behind him. The room is quiet, intimate in the dark, and he can hear Hinata’s trembling breaths as the other pulls the covers over himself.

_ Should he say something? _

_ Should they talk until one of them falls asleep? _

_ Does Hinata move in his sleep? _

“Um Atsumu-san?” Hinata mumbles and Atsumu speaks without thinking.

“What’s with all the formality all of a sudden? Ya’ve been callin’ me Atsumu all day, but now ya get nervous.” As childish as it seems he isn’t going to let Hinata take a step back on their familiarity with each other, not if he can do something about it.

Hinata laughs quietly. “Yeah, sorry, don’t know why I...are you comfortable?”

_ No, my heart is about to explode out of my chest because I’m two seconds away from turning around and looking at you. _

“I’m just fine.” He always is, always has to be fine.

Hinata shifts behind him, the movement of weight jostles the bed a little. “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that?”

Atsumu closes his eyes and turns around, when he opens them he’s face to face with Hinata. Both of them lay on the bed, facing one another, breathing the same air and speaking so quietly even though they’re the only two in the room.

“I said I’m fine, Shou,” Atsumu whispers transfixed by Hinata’s face. He looks tired after a long day out, sleepy and full of good food, a slight smile on his face as he watches Atsumu watching him and so close that Atsumu wants to cry.

After years of distance that only ever seemed to grow wider Hinata is here with him. He’s within reach for the first time ever and even that short gap between them seems too much. 

Atsumu is tired and halfway to sleep. He reaches up to Hinata’s faces and runs a thumb along his cheek, too dazed and happy to pay any attention to the short sharp  hopeful gasp it elicits from his partner.

“M’really glad I came to see ya,” he admits in the dark, in the quiet, in the little space they’ve made for themselves away from the rest of the world. He cups Hinata’s jaw and strokes his cheek again, the simple touch a soothing balm on his nerves that he really is here with him.

Hinata’s hand covers Atsumu’s, and he entwines their fingers together. His hand is rough from work and training, and Atsumu never wants to let go.

Then Hinata smiles.

_ BA-THUMP. _

“I’m really glad you came too, ‘Tsumu.” Hinata whispers back. He looks vulnerable, soft and happy. Atsumu wants to see him like this everyday.

_ Oh. _

_ I love him. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear these two are going to talk eventually T_T I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this fic! Every kudos and comment is appreciated and I hope you are all having a good start to the new year.
> 
> Feel free to come say hello on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want, I post snippets from my WIP's and sometimes cool graphics to go with my fics as well! As usual a massive thank you to my beta reader [vanellabean11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabean11/pseuds/vanellabean11) for all their hard work.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata wakes up slower than normal, his mind lazily drifting into consciousness, and he feels so warm and comfortable that the thought of leaving the cocoon of the bed is not an attractive one. He groans and buries his head deeper into the pillow.

There’s a sigh and a warm huff of air through his hair. The heavy, familiar weight of an arm around him pricks at his mind, but it’s not like he hasn’t woken up like this before. It’s been a while since he got to properly snuggle with someone in bed anyway.

He’s all set to return to the realm of dreams — something about the sky, wings, and the memory of a kiss that still sent tingles down his spine a year later — when reality reasserts itself and…

_ Wait. _

He wouldn’t have taken anyone to bed last night, not with Atsumu here.

His heartbeat triples in speed, and he’s almost scared to open his eyes. But Hinata learned how to conquer his fear a long time ago, and he sucks in a shaky breath before opening one of them.

Atsumu’s sleeping face is right next to him, and he barely holds back the urge to flail backwards out of the bed. Worry for how he would land on the floor and concern over Atsumu’s wellbeing — he looked so tired when Hinata saw him at the airport, and not all of it could be explained away by a long flight — keep him in place and gives him time to take in the situation.

At some point during the night he and Atsumu came together in the middle of the bed and ended up cuddling. Their legs are intertwined, and Atsumu’s arm is a solid weight holding him close. 

Atsumu looks adorable when he sleeps. His mouth lolls open, and every few seconds he does a cute little snort-snore that doesn’t match the carefully crafted image of the handsome, playboy volleyball player Hinata’s read about in online articles. He knows that he needs to be careful reading that sort of thing and that most of it was probably not true, but Atsumu never spoke about his personal life at all and he was curious.

It’s hypocritical of him, and he knows it. It’s not like he volunteered information about his own love life either. It never felt right to bring it up.

_ He doesn’t hide the marks though, doesn’t hide the proof of his exploits from Atsumu or cover them up before they start a video call. It’s wrong of him, but he can’t help it. Not when he sees Atsumu’s eyes flick over the marks at the beginning of every call when the image clears and darken with jealousy.  _

_ It’s wrong, but it lets Hinata continue to hope. _

He wants to reach up and trace Atsumu’s brow, run his fingers through his hair and discover what it feels like first thing in the morning, pinch his nose and watch him gasp awake before turning to Hinata and accuse him of trying to kill him again. 

More than anything, Hinata wants to stay in his arms and kiss him awake when he starts to stir from sleep. Atsumu curls tighter around him, and for a second, Hinata wants that even more than he wants to hit his tosses.

He needs to leave before he does something foolish.

Ever so carefully, he begins to extract himself from Atsumu’s embrace. It’s not easy, they’re cuddling pretty hard, and he nearly wakes him up a few times when he moves too quickly. Unfortunately, the slow pace only means he has more time memorising what it feels like to wake up in Atsumu’s arms and how much he wants it for more than a couple of nights.

Eventually he’s free — except it doesn’t really feel like freedom — and tiptoes towards his dresser to get some clothes before heading to the shower. He needs a cold one after all that, especially with the little sigh Atsumu made as he snuggled closer playing on repeat in his head. 

Later as they eat breakfast together, there’s an unspoken agreement not to mention the bed sharing. It’s both a relief and incredibly frustrating.

“So what’s the plan for today?” 

Hinata takes a second to swallow. “Well, I definitely want to take you to  _ Pão de Açúcar.  _ You get an amazing view of the city from up there, and the cable car is pretty fun. And then tonight I was thinking of going to Lapa, it’s got some beautiful street art and it’s a big nightlife spot. Nice and Heitor are going to join us if that’s okay with you.”

Atsumu nods without hesitation. “Sounds good. Gonna take a wild guess and say I’m payin’ for drinks after losin’ yesterday.”

“Those are the rules,” Hinata sings, he’s been winning more matches lately so his own drinks bill is much shorter nowadays.

Although going drinking with Heitor and Nice means spending time with Heitor. And given all the not-so-subtle comments he’d made yesterday Hinata is in for another round this evening. Thankfully, Atsumu doesn’t understand Portuguese, and Hinata was able to focus more on volleyball and not react to the teasing.

Watching Atsumu play in his beach gear had been another struggle, so some of his moves had been sloppy — especially when the sun hit him in a certain way and with his tongue stuck out in concentration — and Heitor’s laughing eyes hadn’t helped.

Atsumu yawns and pushes a hand through his hair. He’s not yet showered, and it sticks up in messy tufts, Hinata bites back a chuckle. “Heads up, I’m probably not gonna drink too much tonight. It’s not really my thing and ‘athlete gets stupidly drunk and causes a scene in foreign country’ is not a title I wanna have on my record.”

Hinata frowns and sets his mug down. “I mean, sure that’s totally fine, but you know we wouldn’t let it get that far, right? If you want to drink, then don’t feel like it’s unsafe or anything.”

Atsumu smiles softly. “I know ya’d look after me, Shou, but seriously it’s not my thing. Just some bad experiences with the press back home is all.”

Hinata feels equal parts pride and anger. Pride that Atsumu trusts him to look after him and anger at whoever’s been targeting him in Japan. He recalls some of the more gossipy articles he read, the ones with a snidey chiding tone that always bugged him so much that he couldn’t finish the whole thing, and scowls. While it’s unlikely that Atsumu will be recognised and is most likely being over cautious, Hinata will keep an eye out anyway.

“Okay, but if you don’t want to go, I can think of something else for us to do. Nice is a master at Risk.”

Atsumu shakes his head. “No I want ta go, and the Black Jackals have an odd relationship with board games. We get pretty competitive...and may be banned from playin’ some of them.” Hinata raises an eyebrow. “Let’s just say Bokkun is a much better monopoly player than they thought, and someone may have threatened to shove the little dog token down his throat.”

Hinata bursts out laughing, and they fall into an easy conversation about their friends back home.

He tries to ignore how nice it feels starting his day like this with Atsumu’s fond smile and sleepy sweet voice.

* * *

“Yer sure this is safe? That wire looks awful shaky.” 

Hinata is glad that no one else in the cable car seems to understand them and squeezes Atsumu’s hand. Atsumu had grabbed it within a minute of them taking off, and it wasn’t hard to spot the panic on his face.”

“I promise you, it’s perfectly safe, Atsumu. I’ve been on this thing loads of times and look at the view.” It was a little like being on a plane, rising higher and higher above the city and looking down on it like a bird.

Atsumu’s other hand is currently covering his eyes though which makes it more difficult to appreciate.

“Nope. I’ll look when we get ta the top when I’m not riding on a death trap.”

“You were fine on the train up to the statue.”

“Yeah! That was a train going up the side of the mountain, not a flying cage with questionable safety credentials. Just tell me when we get ta the top, okay.”

Hinata sighs but squeezes Atsumu’s hand again — should he feel guilty about liking it while Atsumu is clearly terrified? —and promises to let him know when they’re at the end.

An old woman next to them chuckles and tilts her head towards Atsumu.  _ “Your boyfriend’s pretty skittish, it is his first time in the cable car?” _

Hinata is once again grateful that Atsumu does not understand Portuguese. There really isn’t enough time to get into everything that’s between him and Atsumu and explain it properly to a complete stranger. 

Instead he smiles sheepishly. “ _ Is it really that obvious? Yeah, it’s his first time on the cable car, first time in Rio actually. I didn’t think he’d get this scared over it.” _

The lady laughs heartily and peers out the window.  _ “Ahh, I suppose it can be daunting if you’ve not done it before like any new experience. I hope the trip down is easier for him. If it’s his first time in the city, you better show him a good time, eh?” _

_ “I’m doing my best to do just that, ma’am. I want him to have a great time here.”  _ That part at least is completely truthful. He wants Atsumu to like Rio because the city is important to Hinata. It’s wormed its way into his heart, his mind, and he thinks part of his soul might belong on that beach with the sand and sea. Rio has changed — is continuing to change — him and he wonders who he’ll be at the end of it.

Atsumu’s grip tightens.

_ BA-THUMP. _

Well, maybe some things had stayed the same.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, I’ll tell you when.”

“Ya can’t tell ‘Samu about this, okay?”

“Sure, sure.”

“No, Shou. I’m serious, he’ll never let me live it down.”

They manage to disembark at the top of the mountain without issue. They get a few looks at the two fully grown men holding hands — one smiling easily and the other shaking and covering his eyes —  __ but nothing malicious. Sensing an opportunity Hinata asks Atsumu to keep his eyes closed.

“Huh, what for?” Atsumu turns to where he thinks Hinata’s face is, a couple of inches lower than where it really is.

“Well, you haven’t had the view spoiled for you yet, right? I’m thinking I take you to the perfect view spot and then you see it for the first time in a really amazing way.” The cable car was fine but it did give you a bit of a taster for what was waiting at the top.

Atsumu mulls it over for a few seconds. “Alright then, I trust ya. Let’s go see this amazing view then.”

_ I’m looking at him right now. _

“What didya say?”

Hinata blanches. “Nothing! I said I’m looking out now and it looks good haha!” He’s an idiot. “Let’s go.” He practically drags Atsumu forward, ignoring the startled yelp from behind him, in his haste to move on and away from his blunder.

It takes a bit of maneuvering, and Atsumu walks into the railings at one point, but eventually Hinata finds a relatively uncrowded spot. He moves Atsumu into position ignoring the grumbling, and right before he lets go he looks out over the city himself.

It’s beautiful. The sky is a crisp clear blue, and while there are a few fluffy white clouds on the horizon, they don’t obscure the view in any way. There are boats on the water, and the sun is bright and warm. It almost looks like an impossibility, this sprawling vibrant city surrounded by sea, sand, and mountains covered in green; nature and civilisation meeting in a picturesque view.

“Okay, you can look now.” Atsumu’s hand drops, and he gasps.

“Whoa,” he says breathlessly, stunned, as he should be, by the view from the top.

It’s quiet for a few minutes, the background noise of other visitors aren’t intrusive, and they are both content to be still and look out over the city. Hinata is calm. It almost feels like meditating, watching Atsumu appreciate the sight in front of him and the clear reverence on his face.

Hinata is glad he’s brought him here. It really is one of the best views in the world.

“I wanna come here again before I go,” Atsumu says quietly, eyes still locked on the city below. “But when it’s dark.”

Hinata blinks, surprised. “Yeah, we can do that. It closes at 8pm, and it’s dark by then. Any reason why?” He hadn’t figured out what to do for Atsumu’s last night yet, so it’s free for another trip up here.

Atsumu finally looks at him with gleaming eyes. “I wanna see this place lit up in the dark, wanna see all the lights, wanna see it glow in the night. It feels like that would be quite something ta see. Only if ya want to as well though.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Atsumu averts his gaze suddenly bashful. “It sounds silly I know but... things like this look different at night, ya know? It hits ya in a new way and... I don’t know, they always felt a little more magical lit up in the dark.”

Hinata feels hopelessly fond. “It’s not silly,” he says in a hushed voice. “I want to see that with you too.”

They’re still holding hands, and when Atsumu squeezes his again, Hinata knows it’s no longer out of fear.

It does start to hurt a little on the way back down in the cable car when Atsumu’s grip turns into a vice as the wind makes the car shake a little too much for his comfort.

* * *

_ “He’s not going anywhere, Shouyou, you can stop staring at him like he’s about to get whisked away.” _

_ “You don’t know that. Especially not with those sharks circling him.”  _ Hinata grits his teeth and wonders how he managed to end up like this, watching every guy and girl in the club approach Atsumu after eyeing up like a piece of steak. Sharks eat steak, right?

_ “Jealousy is not a good look on anyone, my friend. And it’s not like he’s entertaining any of them anyway.”  _ Heitor grins and takes another sip of his drink.

They’re in one of the numerous bars in Lapa, this one gets an added bonus for having a live Samba bar, and Atsumu had to be dragged away from oohing and ahhing at all the street art. The music is fantastic, and any other night he would be singing along to the words or dancing on the floor, maybe even flirt with a few of the other patrons.

This isn’t any other night.

Instead of enjoying himself as usual, he’s sitting in a corner barely touching his drink and glaring daggers at anyone hopeful enough to approach the blonde god at the bar. At least Nice is with him, someone had to help him order and she’d volunteered before Hinata had been able to, shooting him a mischievous grin as they slid out of the booth.

Nice’s English is better than Heitor’s, and she and Atsumu can just about communicate without him there. He’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing at the moment.

Heitor is right though. Atsumu is brushing off everyone and sticking close to Nice’s side, eyes firmly fixed on the bartender — who is looking back very appreciatively which doesn’t help at all — and responding quickly to any of the more persistent suitors.

The worst thing is Hinata can’t blame them. They’re all doing what he wishes he could do, and he wonders how Atsumu would react to that. Would he laugh it off as a joke? Get annoyed? Get angry? Or would he blush and let Hinata kiss him again?

Except they aren’t naive teenagers anymore, and Hinata wants way more than a simple peck.

He slams his glass down on the table.

_ “I’m such a mess,” _ he whines.  _ “I’ve forgotten how to act when he’s in front of me. Is this how you feel about Nice all the time?” _

Heitor scowls and flicks him on the forehead.  _ “Hey, at least I did something about that…eventually. Look why don’t you ask him to dance? It’s not going to look odd here and who knows what can happen on the dance floor?” _ That last part is said with a none-too subtle wink.

_ “I-I don’t know. He said he didn’t want to do anything crazy, and I don’t want to push him.” _

_ “It’s dancing in a bar, not that crazy.” _

_ “Yeah I know, but what if I make him uncomfortable?” _ He’s already pushing it with the bed sharing and the sunscreen incident. He would feel more guilty about using them as excuses to touch Atsumu if Atsumu didn’t keep agreeing or suggesting them. Or holding his hand in public. Or smiling at him over breakfast. Or looking so good on the beach. Or tossing to him in the gym.

Or just kept on being Atsumu. If he stopped doing that, then maybe Hinata would have a better chance of resisting him.

Heitor snags a crisp from the bowls of snacks on the table and waves it at Hinata with the air of a teacher.  _ “He doesn’t strike me as the sort of guy who’d agree to something that he doesn’t want to do. And you know him well enough to tell if he doesn’t like it, right?” _

Hinata nods reluctantly, and Heitor eats his crisp with a crunchy bite that Hinata can hear even over the samba music.

_ “Personally, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. He’s been looking back here as often as you’ve been sneaking glances at him. There’s only one reason he’s here, and it ain’t the booze.” _

Hinata feels the beginnings of a dangerous hope start to unfurl in his chest, and he grips the base of his glass. Heitor’s eyes turn serious and he points at Atsumu — who’s now waiting for whatever he’s ordered, shooting glares at the next smirking patron who approaches him.

_ “This is the guy, right? Your guy? The one you’re always talking about.” _

That was a little unfair, he talked about other things apart from Atsumu as well. Though admittedly he was a frequent topic of conversation — especially on those early nights before Heitor asked Nice out, and the two of them would commiserate on their hopeless crushes after matches.

“ _ Yeah, that’s him.” _

_ “Then what are you waiting for? He’s here to see you, that much is obvious. He’s been stuck to your side the whole trip, he’s staying with you and don’t even get me started on the chemistry between you two during those matches yesterday.”  _ Heitor claps him hard on the shoulder causing him to nearly spill his drink over their food.

_ “Hey! Be careful.” _

“ _ I’ve never taken you for a coward, Shouyou. What, or should I say who, you want is right there in front of you. What aren’t you taking the chance?” _

Because he’d never forgive himself if he messed up their friendship. Because Atsumu is so much more than a date or a fling? Because Hinata has kept his feelings pushed down for years and the thought of letting them free terrified him?

Atsumu glances over at them and catches his eyes. Hinata sucks in a breath. The frown on Atsumu’s face vanishes, and he gives a little wave. Hinata waves back, functioning on some sort of autopilot as his mind descends into static, and Atsumu turns back to the bar.

His heart beats loudly in his chest, and his palms are sweaty. There’s no denying it now, the softness on Atsumu’s face when he looks at Hinata compared to the stern glare being shot at seemingly everyone else in the room.

Oh god. He’s really going to do this, isn’t he?

He picks up his glass and downs it in one go. The alcohol burns his throat and causes his eyes to water. But the shot of liquid courage helps to hide the shakiness of his knees as he stands up and walks towards the bar.

* * *

Atsumu is going to kill the next person who tries to touch him. There’s only so many times a guy can politely stop someone from stroking their bicep before resorting to violence. Luckily, Nice is an excellent bodyguard and has probably prevented about three murders.

Apart from a few grabby members of the public, he’s enjoying himself. The music is good and so is the food. He cut himself off after two drinks which is enough to give him a pleasant buzz but not much else.

“You having fun?” His mood immediately brightens when he hears Hinata’s voice behind him.

Turning around with a grin he lets his eyes briefly trace over his friend before forcing them up to his face. “I am, thanks for suggesting the place.”

Hinata nods but in a vague way like he’s not really paying attention. He’s looking at Atsumu pretty intensely and clenching his fist.

_ Do I have something on my face? My teeth?  _

There are a few moments of silence as he waits for Hinata to carry on the conversation, or say what he came here to say, and he only gets more nervous as it lengthens.

“Uh, are ya okay?”

“Dancewithme!”

Well he didn’t hear any of that. He shrugs apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that, can ya repeat it?”

Hinata takes a deep breath, he looks stunning under the flashing lights of the bar, and Atsumu aches to reach out and touch him.

“Do you want to dance with me?” He asks and there’s a shaky quality to his voice that is unusual, but Atsumu can’t think about that. His train of thought is derailed in an instant.

“Yes!” He blurts out before Hinata can change his mind. “I mean yeah, I’d like that.” Smooth.

Hinata beams and holds out his hand, Atsumu takes it. It’s a familiar feeling after this morning, but he still relishes in the touch and lets Hinata pull him onto the dance floor.

It’s crowded and they bump into a few bodies on the way, but just like in the market, Hinata navigates through it easily. Atsumu wonders how often he’s been to places like this and found a dance partner before vehemently shutting the thought down. Hinata is with him, and that’s all that matters this evening.

“I should let ya know, dancin’ not my strong point.” They come to a stop towards the centre and he has to shout in Hinata’s ear to be heard over everything else.

Hinata chuckles and takes his other hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.”

And then he starts to move, and dear lord this is how Atsumu dies, isn’t it? This is how he spends his last moments on earth.

It’s exactly how he’d want to go.

Hinata pulls him close, their bodies almost touching, and his hips sway with the beat. He looks flushed, but whether that’s from the heat of their surroundings or alcohol Atsumu can’t tell. His eyes are locked on Atsumu, and he’s burning under it.

He drops a hand to Hinata’s waist, anchoring himself to the man he flew halfway around the world for, while intertwining their fingers with the other.

He can’t look away.

He doesn’t want to.

There’s almost no distance between their bodies now. Hinata can probably hear his heart beating in his chest.

Hinata is in his arms, and Atsumu doesn’t want to let go.

Maybe it’s the music, the atmosphere, the days they’ve spent together. So close yet always toeing some invisible line in between them. Or maybe Atsumu finally lets himself look into Hinata’s eyes and sees a reflection of his own want looking back at him.

Hinata licks his lips.

“‘Tsumu I—”

Atsumu kisses him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter :) and I hope you enjoyed reading it. 
> 
> Feel free to come say hello on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want, I post snippets from my WIP's and sometimes cool graphics to go with my fics as well! As usual a massive thank you to my beta reader [vanellabean11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabean11/pseuds/vanellabean11) for all of their hard work.


	6. Chapter 6

Atsumu kisses Hinata, and he  _ burns. _

Was it the nickname? The atmosphere? The sheer weight of his feelings that had been crushing his heart for the past few days? It doesn’t really matter. Nothing matters except the sound of the tension that’s been building from the moment Hinata met him at the airport finally snapping.

Hinata’s hands are in his hair pulling him close, and he’s kissing Atsumu back.

The music, the other patrons, the smell of sweat and alcohol all fade away into static, and the only thing he knows is the feeling of Hinata’s mouth on his. His body is a live-wire shooting sparks and coming dangerously close to combusting.

The sharp sting of Hinata’s teeth sinking into his lip pulls a strangled groan from his chest and he wants more. He’s always been greedy, and he wants everything that Hinata is willing to give him. This isn’t the kiss from last year: inexperienced, innocent, and tinged with sadness for the parting that was to come. This is a kiss full of want and need and desperate relief.

Air is an unfortunate necessity — and one he would happily forego if he could — and they part with matching gasps. Even in the dim light of the dance floor, Atsumu can see Hinata’s pupils have dilated into a pair of black holes that pull him in with a gravity he has no chance of escaping.

Hinata’s breath hitches in his throat, and one of his hands slides down to Atsumu’s neck, a thumb strokes his rapidly beating pulse, and there’s something terribly fragile in his face as he looks up at Atsumu.

Atsumu doesn’t give him the chance to say anything and kisses him again, words always get in the way with them; they cause misunderstanding and confusion, they’ve always been better talking with actions rather than words. His hands are on Hinata’s waist holding him close but loose enough for Hinata to pull away if he wants to. He’s never ever wanted to put Hinata in a cage.

Hinata’s hand in his hair tightens and his lips curl into a smile. Atsumu tastes it with a flick of his tongue and Hinata opens his mouth. He shivers and a strangled whine leaves his throat as he pulls away again. It’s the last thing he wants to do. He wants to keep kissing Hinata forever, wants to touch him and hold him close. Atsumu wants to lose himself in his smile and wake up beside him the next day with a kiss full of sleep and morning breath.

He sucks in a ragged breath and closes his eyes, if he keeps them open he’s going to kiss Hinata again. “Shouyou,” he says, and it’s the only thing he can. His voice is shaky and hoarse, breaking under the weight of his feelings for the man in front of him.

“‘Tsumu,” Hinata whispers and damn him. Damn him for saying it in that tone, the one full of fondness and affection and wraps around his name like it’s something to be treasured. Atsumu’s heart is racing so fast it feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest.

He laughs, helpless and in love, before resting his forehead against Hinata’s with his eyes still closed. They’re so close. Hinata’s skin is warm under his touch, and he’s so beautifully alive and here that it makes up for every night he’s ended a video call feeling cold and alone in his apartment.

“We uh...should probably talk about this, right?” That’s the sensible thing to do. The adult thing. The responsible thing.

Atsumu wants to suck a mark into Hinata’s neck in the same spot he’d seen another one, wanting to wash away the memory of anyone else until all Hinata knows is his name and his touch.

“Probably,” Hinata agrees, and he sounds just as breathless. Atsumu dares to open his eyes. Hinata’s face is right there, but even the scant inches between them feel like a gaping canyon. “But I kinda want to keep kissing you.”

Atsumu bites back a groan and digs his fingers into Hinata’s hips. “Yer killin’ me here.”

Hinata laughs, and Atsumu bends down to leave a trail of soft kisses along his jaw. “I should be saying that to you,” he teases before cutting off with a hitched breath when Atsumu adds a scrape of teeth to the next kiss. “Wanted to do this since you stepped off the plane.”

Since he stepped off the plane: dirty, sweaty, and jetlagged. Hinata had wanted him even like that. Atsumu pulls away again only to dive back into a dirty open-mouthed kiss that makes his own knees turn to jelly.

Someone bumps into him from the back, and he nearly topples over. He manages to keep his balance, but the moment is broken and the noise of the bar rushes back into focus. Hinata’s hands drop away, and he’s struck with a feeling of loss that threatens to overwhelm him. He lets go of him and tries to take a step back, head still spinning from the kiss as the fireworks go off in his brain.

He tries to take a step back. Hinata grabs his hand, and Atsumu is able to drag his focus from the pink flush on his cheeks to the shy way their fingers intertwine. A question. An invitation. He squeezes Hinata’s hand and smiles.

“I-I think I better tell Heitor and Nice that we’re leaving early.”

Atsumu swallows thickly and reaches up to tuck a stray errant curl of orange hair behind an ear. “Okay.” He sounds like he’s been swallowing gravel.

He can’t resist one more kiss before they leave though. Screw the expensive fares, they’re getting a taxi back because there is nothing more important than getting the pair of them to a private room and finding out just how far down that blush goes.

* * *

Sunlight tickles his eyes, and Atsumu wakes with a groan as sleep releases him to the morning. He frowns and buries his head further into his pillow, it’s going to need to drag him kicking and screaming because he was having the best dream and—

A familiar chuckle rings delightfully in his ears, and someone gently pushes his hair out of his face. He cracks open one eye and then the other as Hinata’s smiling face comes into focus.

“Morning,” Hinata whispers, quiet so as not to disturb the peace of their little bubble, and carefully traces a hand down Atsumu’s face to his neck.

“Mornin’.” Atsumu yawns. He’s too drowsy and too satisfied to panic about this right now, so he pulls Hinata closer and nuzzles against his chest.

Hinata chuckles and continues to stroke the back of his neck causing Atsumu to let out a pleased low rumble. “Why am I not surprised you’re a cuddler?” There’s a gentle tease to his voice, and Atsumu basks in it. Affection first thing in the morning? Fantastic. He feels better than he has in a long time, and he’d be content to spend his last day in Rio right here in Hinata’s bed.

“Don’t know why.” He moves his head so that it’s resting over Hinata’s heart, the steady beat threatening to lull him back to sleep. “M’always clingy with things I...care about.” Atsumu swaps the word he wants to say at the last second. Even he knows it’s a little too heavy to drop the l-word after one night together — he’s binge watched enough romantic films to know that — but Hinata’s breath still hitches, and the hand on his neck freezes.

“Oh yeah?” Hinata sounds like he’s desperately trying to appear carefree and failing miserably. Atsumu can hear the relief, the worry, the rawness, and the hope in those two words and he smiles. Sounds like he wasn’t the only one suffering.

Reluctantly, he pushes himself up to his side so he can see Hinata’s face. In the quiet stillness of the bedroom, he finds that he can be brave and cups Hinata’s jaw with his hand as his eyes take in the open vulnerability on his face. It feels easy to be honest now, the words no longer sticking in his throat.

“Yeah, I care about ya so much, Shouyou, and before ya ask, no not just in a friend way.” He snorts. “Haven’t felt very friend-like towards ya for a real long time now.” It’s not exactly everything that he wants to say, but it’s enough for now.

Hinata stares at him for what feels like days before moving forward to kiss him. It’s sweet and slow, and Atsumu melts into it. He tilts Hinata’s head up just a bit more for the perfect angle, and if he had room for any other feelings apart from a bone-melting happiness, he’d be feeling pretty smug about the way Hinata sighs into the kiss. Hinata dips his head down to break it, and the pleased pink of his cheeks might just be Atsumu’s new favourite colour. 

“Well, I’m sure it’s obvious but…” Hinata pauses before taking Atsumu’s hand in his, their fingers sliding easily together. “I still really, really like you, ‘Tsumu.” Atsumu feels his own face warm, and his eyes flick away from the emotions he can see in Hinata’s. He’s not used to this, not used to people picking him back, and it’s a little overwhelming when he’d come here half prepared to get his heart broken again.

“M’glad,” he mumbles and thinks for a second what those gossip magazines would say if they could see him now — shy and bumbling like a teenager in front of the boy he loves. Not that he plans on sharing this moment with anyone else — except maybe ‘Samu because he needs someone to vent to when he goes back to Japan and his Hinata-less existence.

There’s a few moments of silence as they just look at each other, Atsumu’s half tempted to break it with another kiss or picking up from last night, but it’s too special to break. Their feelings for one another haven’t weakened or disappeared or returned to something more platonic, and the smile on his face turns giddy. Hinata raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth to say something when it happens.

Footsteps and a voice calling out Hinata’s name. Atsumu has about two seconds to think before the door to the bedroom is thrown open with a bang.

“What the hell?” He grabs for the covers to clutch to his chest as some dude he’s never seen before stands in the doorway and gapes at them. 

“Pedro?” Hinata gasps and sits up straighter giving the intruder the perfect view of his chest and all the new marks on it that definitely weren’t there yesterday.

_ Wait? Pedro? As in the roommate? _

Is it too late to jump out the window?

What follows next are some of the most awkward few minutes of Atsumu’s life, and that’s including the time at Christmas when he was a kid and he’d yelled ‘I don’t want to meet Santa!’ in the big store his mom was dragging him around only for the store Santa to come round the corner. Hinata babbles at Pedro in Portuguese and nearly gets out of bed before Atsumu grabs his arms, and he remembers his nakedness.

Pedro can’t look at them, and Atsumu can’t blame the guy. He once walked in on ‘Samu and Yamaguchi and nearly carved out his eyes. There were some things a brother should never see. Pedro makes a quick retreat, and Atsumu covers his eyes in a despairing motion. So much for a nice morning in.

Despite the embarrassing start, breakfast isn’t too terrible. Atsumu is happy to sit in silence for once as Hinata and Pedro catch up on the past few days — and maybe he’s just a little too interested in the way Hinata speaks Portuguese and the tingle it sends down his spine when he hears it. They’re clearly good friends, but that’s not surprising, it is Hinata after all, and Atsumu tries to look as non-threatening as possible when Pedro shoots him semi-nervous looks across the table.

As usual, the food is delicious.

Pedro goes to unpack his stuff as they clean up, and Hinata relaxes with a sigh before winking at Atsumu over a sink full of suds.

“He’s not mad at us or anything, just shocked because he wasn’t expecting to see us like that. He thought we might have been intruders or something because he didn’t see me in his room or anywhere else in the apartment.”

Atsumu snorts and dries the next plate with a touch more ferocity than the last one. “Yeah, not exactly the best first impression I’ve ever made.”

“You’re making a habit of those. I seem to recall a certain Inarizaki setter calling me a scrub when we first met,” Hinata teases and flicks a few drops of water at him. “You didn’t even know my name, and you were so judgy.”

Atsumu bumps his hip against the slightly-bigger-but-still-short monster and sets the plate down. “Come on, we were in high school and idiots. ‘Sides I changed my mind pretty quickly after our game.” Not that he’d had much choice with how well Hinata had played — watching him jump for the first time in that freak quick with Kageyama had been incredible and replicating it with ‘Samu felt even better.

_ How would it feel ta pull it off with Shouyou though? _

_ One day I’m gonna find out. _

“That’s true,” Hinata admits with a smirk. “And that promise at the end was a nice way to make up for it. Don’t worry about Pedro though, he’s more likely to hold it against me than you.”

“The two of ya seem like good friends.”

Hinata hums in acknowledgement and squeezes more soap into the basin. “We are, I’m really grateful he’s my roommate, but we had a bit of a rocky start?”

“Oh?” This is new. 

The water pours over the top of the basin as Hinata starts to scrub a pan. “To be honest, my first few months here were pretty rocky. It took me a while to pick up the language, and playing on the sand was so different to the court—”

“I noticed,” Atsumu cuts in and is pleased when Hinata laughs, chasing away some of the shadows from his eyes.

“Anyway,” Hinata carries on with a smile, “it was tougher than I thought it would be. Especially the loneliness. Sure, I knew Lucio from a few video calls and I wasn’t living alone but...it was tough adjusting to everything. Rio is wonderful. I love the music, the food, the people, the beaches, but it’s so big and easy to feel small in.” He stops scrubbing the pan and stares into space, lost in a memory Atsumu can only guess at. “Sometimes I’d look at photos on my phone of Karasuno, Natsu, my mom, you and wish that I was back in Japan. Sometimes I’d cry over it.”

“Shouyou,” Atsumu says, unsure what else to do.

Hinata huffs and turns to look at him fully, his eyes are bright and brimming with confidence and the worry in Atsumu’s chest dissipates instantly. 

“But I’m so glad that I stayed and that I’m learning everything that I need to. When I do go back to Japan, I’m going to be able to stand on the same court as you and Kageyama, and everyone else. And this time I’ll stand there on my own strength.”

Atusmu could say something about how he’s never thought Hinata needed someone else to be worthy of standing on the court. He could say something about being ready for Hinata when he comes back. He could tease him about how it sounds like he doesn’t really want to leave Rio.

He does none of those things.

Instead he moves forward and kisses Hinata again. Nothing more than a quick brush of lips, but it’s so easy and right that it feels like much more than that. Hinata’s eyes are wide when he pulls back and Atsumu smiles, helplessly in love with the man in front of him who had the strength to come to this place and rebuild himself on the sea and sand.

“Yer kinda really amazin’, Shouyou.”

And isn’t that the biggest understatement he’s ever said?

* * *

“You’re sure you don’t want to look? It’s not quite the same as the top, but the view is still pretty great.”

“I’m sure.”

“It really is completely safe you know, and the chances of something going wrong are—”

“Shouyou, if ya finish that sentence, I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.”

He hears Hinata huff behind him and bites back a grin when the hand holding his squeezes tightly. If he was inclined to open his eyes he knows he’d see a very pouty, sulky Hinata, and while that is  _ very _ tempting, the constant rocking of the cable car is an unwelcome reminder of just where he is right now.

It is a bit better the second time around, and now that Hinata is holding his hand because he wants to and not just because Atsumu has turned into a scared four-year-old child who’s seen one too many action films with precarious swinging cable cars.

They’ve been holding hands for most of the day, and Atsumu isn’t tired of it at all. He has to get his fill after all, this is his last day here. His flight back is a morning one, so they won’t have time for much more than breakfast tomorrow. In less than twenty-four hours he’ll be in the air on his way back home, and while he’s looking forward to seeing his friends, his teammates, and okay  _ maybe  _ ‘Samu as well, he’s going to miss Hinata so much. 

Atsumu had forgotten how much he just enjoyed being in his company. Yes, he’s completely enamoured and head over heels for the man, but he’d missed seeing him in person as a friend too.

But there was no point worrying about the past or future, after all. Only today mattered, and today he spent it in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the man he loved and being able to openly show it. Today or rather tonight they were heading back up the mountain so that he could see that beautiful view again but under a dark sky with the city lit up below them.

The ride stops, and just like before he lets Hinata maneuver him out and around the other people. There’s a particularly hard yank at one point where Atsumu is sure he nearly walks into a pole but eventually Hinata stops him.

“Okay, we’re here,” he chirps, sounding far too amused at the whole situation. “Open your eyes.”

“If this is a trick, I’m gonna be so mad,” Atsumu promises.

He opens his eyes.

It’s stunning.

There are no lights in the jungle and mountains that surround the city; they are completely black under the night sky. The city beneath Atsumu glows with colour and brightness: gold, orange, green, yellow all gleaming like jewels in a treasure chest. The bright ribbons of gold that form the roads snake in and out between the buildings, the beach is ringed with yellow and shines out into the darkness of the sea.

It hits differently like this, seeing this city glow in the night like a beacon. Still gorgeous and breath-taking but different. The city shines defiant against the dark mountains that encircle it, and Atsumu could stand here for the rest of the night just taking it in.

Then he makes the mistake and turns to look at Hinata. Hinata is staring out at the view, face alight with awe and joy, and still holding Atsumu’s hand. 

“You were right,” he says quietly. “This is different. It’s pretty beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, ya are.” The words slip out before Atsumu can stop them, and Hinata turns to him with a jolt, blushing red when he sees Atsumu looking at him and not the view.

“Shou—”

“‘Tsumu, I—”

They stop and laugh. Idiots the pair of them.

Hinata speaks first. “I know that we said we wouldn't wait for one another. That we wouldn’t hold each other back and bla-bla-bla you remember the rest.”

“I think so,” Atsumu says dryly like it hadn’t been excruciatingly painful for him to keep. For as long as he lives he won’t forget how angry he felt with himself after asking Hinata to promise that to him. 

Hinata ignores him and carries on. “And I know why we did it, and it was the right thing to do and— I’m getting off topic here.” He stands up straight and takes a deep breath. Atsumu lets the smile drop from his face, whatever this is, it's serious.

“Ya know that ya can tell me anythin’ right?”

“I know.” Hinata nods and squeezes his hand again. “Look, I’m going to keep my promise not to wait and you need to keep yours as well.” Atsumu keeps his face carefully blank.

_ A little late for me, Shouyou, sorry. _

“But—”

Atsumu perks up at that as a dangerous hope springs to life in his chest.

“—I think I know myself well enough to say that my feelings for you aren't going to change in the next year.” Hinata looks at him with the heavy weight of knowing in his eyes and Atsumu is struck mute by it. “I liked you for so long back in high school and didn’t do a damn thing about it until it was too late to start anything. And then I did the same thing here for your visit, I was so scared of breaking something that I wasn’t upfront with you about how I felt and we could have spent the whole week doing  _ this _ .” Hinata pulls up their joined hands between them, voice tinged with frustration.

Atsumu waits silently because he knows there’s more to come.

“If anything they’ve just grown stronger a-and being with you for a whole week was so much better than I thought it would be.” Hinata lets out a breath, looking far too nervous. “It always seems to be too late for us, we dance around it until one of us snaps and says something. But all that does is waste more time. So I want you to make a new promise with me, right here right now.”

A part of Atsumu flinches away from making yet another promise to Hinata, he’s pretty sure their destinies have been pretty securely tied together with the amount of vows they’ve made to one another. But he nods.

“Okay, what do ya want us to promise?”

“I want us to promise that the next time we see each other, when I’m back in Japan and you’re busy being the super awesome professional setter...the next time we see each other in person if we feel the same way as we do now, we’ll do something about it. Because I’m getting pretty sick of being unsure.”

What Hinata is asking of him is terrifying. It’s putting everything between them at risk if Hinata does feel differently in a year — Atsumu already knows it won’t be his feelings that change — and it’s going to require a great deal of courage that usually takes a while to build up.

Except Hinata is right, and this dance is getting old. 

And maybe Atsumu can trust in Hinata’s feelings for him as much as his own.

Anything has to be better than this constant wondering when they’re together.

This isn’t just a promise he realises, it’s a challenge as well. Atsumu’s never been good at turning down a challenge.

“I promise,” he says and rests his forehead against Hinata’s in a copy of this morning. “Yer turn.”

“I promise,” Hinata whispers into the space between them. He looks happy and pleased, and Atsumu has to kiss him under the night sky in Rio.

The next day, Atsumu will fly home after nearly missing his flight. There will be a mad rush for the airport, and he’ll leave behind two T-shirts that Hinata will hoard like a jealous dragon for the rest of his time in Brazil. ‘Samu will pick him up from Tokyo airport, exhausted and tired but less burdened than when he left. The team will welcome him back with open arms, and he’ll be back in top shape.

Hinata pulls him in, and Atsumu follows. Their mouths meet, and the beautiful view is forgotten as they lose themselves in each other once more. 

The city continues to shine beneath them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it :) Thank you to everyone who has left a kudos or a comment, they mean a lot ot me and your support has been a great help and motivator. There is a thrid fic to this series but that won't be out for a while as I have a couple of other projects I'm focusing on right now. It was really fun to write these two in a more couply scenario after all the build up of NWiE.
> 
> Feel free to come say hello on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want, I post snippets from my WIP's and sometimes cool graphics to go with my fics as well! As usual a massive thank you to my beta reader [vanellabean11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabean11/pseuds/vanellabean11) for all their hard work.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of the series begins! Really looking forward to this and after all the build up in the first fic I'm looking forward to exploring their relationship more. I hope you've enjoyed it!
> 
> Feel free to come say hi on[ my twitter](https://twitter.com/Jen_B93) if you want and a massive thank you as usual to my beta reader [vanellabeann11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanellabeannn11/pseuds/vanellabeannn11) for all their hard work, I really appreciate all of their help!


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